News
News
Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…
News Over Noise: The Road More Traveled: How Misinformation Spreads
I’m excited to share the full launch of Season 4 of News Over Noise!We previewed two episodes from this new season back in December, and now the full season is officially underway, with new episodes publishing biweekly for the rest of the season.We’re kicking things...
News Over Noise: Best Frenemies: AI’s Ambivalent Impact on News and Democracy
Sneak peek at Season 4 of News Over Noise!Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we create, consume, and trust information and the stakes couldn’t be higher.In this special crossover episode of News Over Noise, Cory Barker and guest co-host Jenna Spinelle dig into...
News Over Noise: When Universities Police the Press: The Fight Over Student Journalism
Sneak peek at Season 4 of News Over Noise!When student journalists at Indiana University published routine accountability reporting, they didn’t expect pushback from the institution they were covering. What followed raises urgent questions about press freedom, power,...
The Reality of Grief: When Secondary Loss Shows Up as a Gain
This is a hard one to put out there. In my work, I talk often about grief literacy and secondary losses. Recently I realized that one of my own secondary losses has been the sense of familiarity I used to have with my own body. This story is not about weight. It’s...
Open to Hope: The Sounds of Grief
I recently published my first piece as an author for Open to Hope: The Sounds of Grief. Since my mom died, I’ve been cataloguing what I think of as “the sounds of grief.” So far, I’ve documented five. Some are raw and animalistic. Others are quiet, barely audible. One...
Podcast Takeover: Grief Out Loud
I had the incredible honor of guest-hosting this very special episode of Dougy Center’s Grief Out Loud podcast so Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW, longtime host of Grief Out Loud and Advocacy & Education Manager at Dougy Center, could shift to the guest role and share...
Speaking Grief: 5 Years Out
In 2018, I began developing an initiative with the working title "The Grief Project." It would eventually become WPSU's Speaking Grief, and it would change my life.In the early days, we were told no one would want to fund a project about grief. Thankfully, those...
NACG 2025: Internet Killed the Video Star
I had the honor of presenting at the 2025 National Alliance for Children's Grief Symposium in Kansas City, MO. My session, Internet Killed the Video Star: Effective Strategies for Facilitating Learning and Engagement in a Changing Media Landscape, explored how grief...
Introducing 12 Degrees: A New Podcast on Real-Life Wellness
When the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing approached WPSU with the idea of creating a wellness podcast, we were excited to collaborate on something meaningful and accessible. The result is 12 Degrees, a new podcast produced by WPSU in partnership with...
Op-ed: Grief Literacy Can Change Lives
What if grief education started before the crisis?What if we grew up learning that grief is part of life—and not a detour from it?What if our schools, sports fields, and community centers were places where grief wasn’t something to fix or fear—but something we knew...