Frances Cook | Carterton balloon tragedy

While covering a fatal car accident in Cromwell Gorge, Shannon Thomson discovered it involved her son's close friend. Suddenly it became a tragedy that touched her own family. She decided to step back from that story and focus on being a mother.Season 6 Episode 6Content warning: contains discussion of sexual assault.Watch the video version of the episode on the RNZ website or on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As a TV reporter, Rob Harley was preparing a very sensitive health story, when it was taken out of his hands. Watching as it was reduced to a headline, Harley made the choice to leave news and current affairs.Season 6 Episode 5Content warning: contains discussion of suicide, substance use and violence.Watch the video version of the episode on the RNZ website or on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Early into life as a reporter, Frances Cook was sent to cover a hot air balloon crash that killed 11 people. She relives the weight of being there for grieving families, and the importance of genuine connection.Season 6 Episode 4Content warning: contains discussion sexual assault and death.Watch the video version of the episode on the RNZ website or on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

At just 23 years old, Vaimoana Mase was sent to cover the 2009 Samoa tsunami, where the widespread suffering also touched her own family. In those times, she both questioned and leaned on her faith.Season 6 Episode 3Content warning: contains discussion of death and natural disasters.Watch the video version of the episode on the RNZ website or on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After a friend contacted him, Chris Lynch took on a story where a woman's bowel cancer treatment had seen several delays. Health NZ apologised, but the woman had already passed away. That story shaped him, and led to a campaign to raise awareness. Season 6 Episode 2Content warning: contains discussion of sexual assault.Watch the video version of the episode on the RNZ website or on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

When Mei Heron touched down in Turkey as the 1News Europe Correspondent, nothing could have prepared her for the devastation she would encounter. After finishing, she felt immense guilt for leaving and returning to normal life. Season 6 Episode 1Content warning: contains discussions of death and covering major disastersWatch the video version of the episode on the RNZ website or on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Media chaplain and broadcaster Frank Ritchie sits down with top New Zealand journalists to unpack that one story that most impacted them, personally and professionally. This season he speaks with Jesse Mulligan, Mei Heron, Frances Cook and more. Listen on your favourite podcast app, the RNZ website or watch on YouTube.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After his bride’s death just hours after their wedding, a devastated groom struggles to process his grief. Five years later, he turns to Melissa Chan-Green to tell his heart-wrenching story for the first time.Season 5 Episode 8Content warning: contains discussion of death and loss, and sexual assault.Watch the video version of the episode here.A day after their wedding, a mourning groom struggles to process the death of his bride. A few kind words from Melissa Chan-Green brought him comfort, but her offer for him to tell his story was gently turned down.Five years later, he would get back in touch with Melissa – ready to talk for the first time about the trauma of that day, and to channel his grief into raising awareness of the dangers of meningitis, the disease that claimed his beloved wife’s life.In this conversation with Rev Frank Ritchie, Melissa reflects on the skill of being a human first and a journalist second, how she handled two young kids and a morning TV show on little sleep, and her career pivot after Newshub’s collapse.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Standing at Hillary Clinton’s election night ‘victory’ party in 2016, Jack Tame realised the real winner was elsewhere. Donald Trump’s rise to power exposed his blind spots as a reporter and fundamentally changed his journalism.Season 5 Episode 7Watch the video version of the episode here.On election night 2016, Jack Tame joined the throngs of media at Hillary Clinton’s victory party. But as the results filtered through, it quickly became clear they were in the wrong place.The real party was across town. Underdog Donald Trump had won.Like many journalists, Jack had overlooked the discontent precipitating Trump's rise to power, and the experience rattled him – drawing attention to his blind spots as a reporter and fundamentally changing the way he covered major stories.In this conversation with Rev Frank Ritchie, Jack Tame speaks about being 1NEWS’ US correspondent in the Trump era, the radio skills that have helped him excel on TV, and how he landed a chance interview with Sir David Attenborough in Antarctica.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Amanda Gillies was on the way to an interview when she got a call confirming Newshub’s closure. Despite the shock, she continued on – and in the telling of a brave Te Kūiti amputee’s story was reminded what had first drawn her to journalism.Season 5 Episode 6Watch the video version of the episode here.After a tip-off, Amanda Gillies drove to Te Kūiti to meet Bev McIndoe – a woman who had survived a catastrophic accident that left half her body amputated, and who now faced losing her home after an ACC funding cut.But just five minutes from her destination, Amanda’s phone rang with news that turned her own world upside-down: Newshub was closing.In shock, she decided to push on – and in sharing Bev’s story of grit and generosity, found her own perspective shifting and a timely reminder of why she became a journalist in the first place.In this kōrero with Rev Frank Ritchie, Amanda Gillies opens up about the moment she learned her workplace of 23 years was shutting its doors, reflects on her time fronting The AM Show, and talks about her new role hosting RNZ’s The Detail.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details