MPR News with Angela Davis

Defining the meaning and value of investigative journalism

They’ve spent hours reporting and uncovering stories that have made significant change, leading to widespread reform at the state level and drawing attention to older cases that led to overturning a death row conviction.

This hour, Brandon Stahl, formerly of the Star Tribune and now an investigative reporter and producer at KARE 11, and Samara Freemark, senior producer and reporter for APM’s In the Dark podcast, walk through how they found, reported and investigated some of the biggest stories in the country.

Stahl has reported on physican malpractice, child aduse and law enforcement handling of sex crimes, which have all resulted in numerous calls for reform and changes in state laws.

Freemark has been instrumental in the second season of In the Dark. The season follows Curtis Flowers, a Mississippi man who has been tried six times for the same crime. The state's key witness admitted to Freemark that he lied on the stand about Flowers confessing to him in jail.

They shared how they keep their work and personal lives separate, how they build trust with sources and the community they’re reporting on, and how important this type of work is in the Trump era.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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