RECORDED WEBINAR - Wednesday, August 20 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET 

Wait is this a story? Learning to Report for the First Time

Every first-time reporter has a moment where they’re staring at their tape, their notes, or just the ceiling, wondering if what they have is anything at all. In this panel, three past LARC reporting fellows (Laura Dux, Olivia Hewitt and Meghan Coyle) talk about what it was like to make their first audio stories. How do you develop instincts for a strong story when you're starting out? How do you get people to talk to you? What happens when everything goes sideways? And how do you know when the story is done?

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About this webinar

  • Wednesday, August 20, 2025
  • 2pm PT / 5pm ET
  • 60 min
  • Free for AIR members 
  • This webinar is recorded and made available for AIR members  after the recording. 
Every first-time reporter has a moment where they’re staring at their tape, their notes, or just the ceiling, wondering if what they have is anything at all. In this panel, three past LARC reporting fellows (Laura Dux, Olivia Hewitt and Meghan Coyle) talk about what it was like to make their first audio stories. How do you develop instincts for a strong story when you're starting out? How do you get people to talk to you? What happens when everything goes sideways? And how do you know when the story is done?
Moderated by Emma Lehman, this is a conversation for anyone who’s ever tried to shape chaos into something meaningful — and lived to tell the tale.
Presented by LARC, a nonprofit project that supports and trains freelance journalists and civic media makers in Southern California.

Key Takeaways

Requirements

AIR membership is required to attend this event
Meet the Moderator

Emma Lehman

Emma is a Los Angeles based podcast producer and investigative journalist. She produced, wrote, and hosted the Shorty Award winning podcast Gooned, and is also the creator of the Texas Twiggy podcast. She is the founder and writer of the Los Audio newsletter, a biweekly newsletter for the Los Angeles audio journalist community. 
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Meet the PRESENTER

Ari Saperstein

Ari Saperstein is a multimedia journalist and director of LARC. He’s the creator of the award-winning podcast Blind Landing and has worked for outlets like This American Life, Serial, Pineapple Street Studios and KPCC/LAist.
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Meet the Presenter

Meghan Coyle

Meghan is an LA-based audio producer and host. Her work has appeared on NPR's All Things Considered Weekend, ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts, Blind Landing, Wondery, and KCRW. This year, she jumped into hosting for the first time and launched NerdWallet's new podcast, Smart Travel.
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Meet the Presenter

Olivia Hewitt

Olivia Hewitt is a podcast producer based in Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently an Associate Producer for Betrayal, a Glass Entertainment podcast. Previously, she interned at KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR station, where she helped produce a variety of podcasts, from the daily news show Kansas City Today to the long-form history show A People’s History of Kansas City. She is also a graduate of the Transom Traveling Workshop. Olivia is passionate about telling audio stories that make complex subjects feel accessible, engaging and personal.
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