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In their own words
A podcast where we talk with journalists about their lives, their journeys, and their careers. Think of it as a mix of the Longform podcast (talking about stories) and Colt Cabana/'s The Art of Wrestling (talking about the journey)
As heard by us
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Byline Confidential turns reporting careers into candid personal histories of judgment, ambition, risk and the daily work behind published stories.
Greg Pratt gets working journalists to trace how careers take shape through assignments, editors, mistakes and the stories that stay with them.
Why you'd press play
A Texas crime scene and an Iraq reporting regret: here's where your headline curiosity goes backstage.
Press play if you want
- to hear Greg Pratt ask how reporters approach grieving families, then sit with the uncomfortable answer
- to hear why Jackie Spinner connects city hall reporting to Iraq, including the questions she wishes she'd asked
Talks about
Podcasts like Byline Confidential
Outrage Overload: Rethinking politics, division, and mediaDavid BeckemeyerCalm thinking for a divided public life.
What Works: The Future of Local NewsDan Kennedy and Ellen CleggLocal news, examined from the inside.
It's All JournalismTwelve years of journalists explaining how the work gets done.
Episodes
- 1
Phil Kadner
Hidden gemThirty-seven years at the Daily Southtown.
Dec 10, 2015·1h 5m·4 clips - 2
Elvia Malagon
Hidden gemElvia Malagon starts with the beat.
Nov 12, 2015·1h 1m·4 clips - 3
Jackie Spinner
Hidden gemThe conversation starts in a parking garage, which somehow fits.
Aug 13, 2015·53m·3 clips - 4
Jazmin Beltran
Apr 24, 2015·1h 5m - 5
Matt O'Connor
Hidden gemMatt O'Connor finally sits down.
Mar 5, 2015·1h 12m·5 clips - 6
Mary Schmich
Feb 12, 2015·1h 6m - 7
Dennis Black
Hidden gemByline Confidential host Greg Pratt interviews Dennis Black, a 79-year-old veteran journalist who began his career at the Beaumont Enterprise in 1971 and later spent 16 years as an editor at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before retiring.
Feb 5, 2015·1h 22m·5 clips - 8
Sarah Engel
Jan 29, 2015·47m - 9
Gisela Orozco
Host Greg Pratt interviews Gisela Orozco, entertainment editor at Hoy, about her journey from typist to editor in Chicago's Spanish-language media.
Jan 13, 2015·38m - 10
Maya Schenwar
Jan 2, 2015·1h 3m - 11
Bryan Gruley
Host Greg Pratt interviews Bloomberg reporter Brian Gruley about his career covering stories like elderly sex in nursing homes and 9/11.
Dec 22, 2014·1h 11m - 12
Eric Roper
Nov 26, 2014·1h 2m - 13
Marcus DiPaola
Host Greg Pratt interviews photojournalist Marcus DiPaola about his experience covering the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
Nov 7, 2014·1h - 14
Britt Robson
Oct 31, 2014·1h 5m - 15
Emily Gurnon
Host Greg Pratt interviews reporter Emily Gernan about her career covering courts for the Pioneer Press.
Oct 17, 2014·44m - 16
Tom Lyden
Oct 10, 2014·59m - 17
Maya Rao
Oct 2, 2014·50m - 18
Showbiz Shelly
Host Greg Pratt interviews entertainment reporter Showbiz Shelly about her career, covering celebrities and her journey in journalism.
Sep 25, 2014·36m - 19
Adam Sege
Sep 18, 2014·41m - 20
Jesus Jimenez
Aug 1, 2014·34m