Sword and Pen

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly discusses women veterans issues and considerations with Ginger Baine Miller, the CEO of Women Veterans Interactive Foundation. Listen in as the two talk about WVIF's efforts to build community for women veterans.Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, MVJ Partnerships Director Devon Lancia sits down with Sara Samora, MVJ Advisory Board member, Manufacturing Dive journalist and Marine Corps veteran. Tune in to learn about Sara's journey to get to where she is today and her advice for fellow vets looking to get started in business coverage.Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly sits down with Dr. Kortni Alston Lemon, journalist, happiness scholar and co-chair of NABJ's Wellness Task Force, to discuss her efforts to support mental health in newsrooms. Listen in as the two discuss the value of journalists and newsrooms seeking ways to maintain stability and seek happiness in the churn of the news cycle.Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly honors Black history and Black military history while looking back at the Military Veterans in Journalism community in 2024. Listen in as LeNoir-Kelly and MVJ Board Member Zack Baddorf talk about what MVJ accomplished over the past year, what the future holds, and the importance of including veteran voices in journalism.Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

Military Veterans in Journalism board members Lucy Bustamante and Zack Baddorf start off the year talking about the value of vets in covering the new administration, plus some tips on how to jumpstart your career in media. Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with navy veteran, MVJ member and NPR radio producer Jason Burrows. Burrows broke into radio onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln by volunteering for the ship's radio station, KRUZ-FM. After ETSing from the navy, he landed his first radio gig as the "Jack of all Trades" at 96.5 Jack-FM, where he served for 15 years. Burrows, a Seattle resident, is part of the production team for KUOW's Soundside. KUOW is an NPR affiliate. Listen as Burrows talks about: how he broke into radio on the USS Abraham Lincoln following his heart when he quit a secure job with a barge company with benefits for a less secure part-time radio job his roller blading podcast that lasted five years valuable tips, tricks and advice for anyone wanting to break into podcasting and radio Find Jason on his webiste and X Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with army broadcast journalist Lance Milsted, a former Defense Information School instructor. Milsted, the chief of production services at DoD's Defense Media Activity (DMA) talks about his belief that everyone has a story to tell, and an important part of journalism is to tell those stories, to make people feel something, to get to know the subjects of our stories and ensure we stay out of the way and let them tell stories. Listen as Milsted also talks about: how being a radio DJ in high school led him to join the army as a broadcast journalist the Defense Information School and the broadcast track he attended then taught how attending the National Press Photographers Association Workshop in Norman, Oklahoma changed his life the power of storytelling, and tips and tricks of the broadcast journalism trade Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with investigative reporter and former marine infantryman James LaPorta, who, after exiting the military, broke into journalism by cold calling editors and agreeing to work for bylines. You are about to hear an inspiring story of how LaPorta, with no journalism experience or degree, tenaciously built a journalism career working for multiple mainstream news outlets, the first being the Washington Post. LaPorta, who was recently laid off from The Messenger, also shares his story about that sudden job loss. The Messenger was a startup nonpartisan news website that hired more than 300 journalists and, in less than a year, laid them all off with no warning. He was the national security and military affairs reporter. Listen as LaPorta talks about: how he became a contributing writer for Hollywood, including This is Us, FBI and Chicago P.D. how he covered his two award winning stories how he broke the story of contaminated water on the USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy and what it's like to have a military reporting beat Find James LaPorta on his ⁠website⁠ | ⁠X⁠ Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with journalism tool extraordinaire Mike Reilley, who just published his second book, The Journalist's Toolbox: A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI. Reilley has made it his mission since 1996 to continuously stock his trademarked online Journalism Toolbox with every kind of tool, resource and training you can imagine, including AI-driven tools, video training and links. If there's a tool out there, he's found it, or seeks to find it. Listen as Reilley talks about: how military journalists can benefit the origin of the Journalist's Toolbox how many new AI tools are available each month and how many tools he deletes because they're dead the history of online journalism and how news orgs were wrong to cannibalize their print product with a free version of a digital product The Journalism Toolbox.ai⁠ | Mike On X @itsmikereilley Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠  Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with Air Force officer and filmmaker Allie Delury, who is celebrating her one-year anniversary of her production company, Work Our Way, on Dec. 30, 2023. Allie, who began her journalism and military career at the University of Minnesota, talks about her journey from tv reporter to business owner; what it was like going from social media manager to disconnecting from it; how a controversial documentary about abortion led her to start her LLC; why you should never let fear of failure or insecurity stop you from perusing anything you want to do; and how motherhood in April will compliment her business, not slow it down. To view Allie's work, go to ⁠Website To view Lori King's work, go to Website Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at ⁠⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠  Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, brought to you monthly by host Lori King

On this special episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King spoke with four attendees during the 2023 MVJ Convention held Oct. 5-7 in New York City. First up at the mic was Dan Clare, a Marine Corps and Air National Guard veteran. He was a military public affairs officer for 17 years, and is now the director of communications for DAV, Disabled American Veterans, who sponsored the MVJ Career Fair. Dan talked about his experience as the burn pit whistleblower, the value of having veteran voices in the media, and about his hope that veterans get hired in journalism at the career fair, where he operated a booth for DAV and sat on the Shaping News Coverage of Disabilities panel. Patrick Martin is an army airborne infantry veteran from Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism - and is now a producer for the NBC News Health and Medical Unit. Patrick came to the convention to give a tour of the NBCUniversal studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and sat on the NBC panel. He talked about how important it is to get veterans into newsrooms, as well as his role as an NBC producer. Evgenia Vlasova is a Brooklyn-based video producer, editor and educator. She has been teaching at the New York Film Academy for eight years. Evgenia is not a veteran, but she is a member of MVJ. She spoke about the power of storytelling and how she helps her students adjust to the big city. She talked about how her veteran students have discipline, being a broadcast journalist in her homeland of Russia, and how the media there is government controlled. She is currently seeking her citizenship. Juan Carpanzano hails from Bogota, Colombia and lives in New York City. He is a marine veteran who spent five years with Combat Camera. He is an advance media studies major at Fordham University, concentrating in photojournalism. He talked about his belief that everyone has a voice, and offered this for advice: Push, push, push, and be confident in yourself! Connect with the guests! Dan Clare: ⁠X | DAV.org Patrick Martin: LinkedIn profile | NBC Health News Evgenia Vlasova: Instagram Juan Carpanzano: Instagram Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by host Lori King Lori King: X ⁠⁠⁠@intro2pj⁠⁠⁠ | Instagram | Website Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot me an email at ⁠⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ 

On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with army veteran and freelance journalist Cyrus Norcross, one of MVJ's 2023 Top 10 Journalists of the Year. Cyrus, who was an army ranger for six years before pursuing journalism, talks about his Navajo Nation heritage, his winning entry that earned him the journalist of the year award, and his passion for telling stories about the Indigenous community. Cyrus, who now freelances for Indian Country Today, has been published in the Native News Online and the Navajo Times. He is a member of MVJ and the Indigenous Journalist Association. Connect with Cyrus: LinkedIn | Website | Instagram Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by host Lori King Twitter | Lori King ⁠⁠@intro2pj⁠⁠  Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot me an email at ⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠ 

On this episode of Sword and Pen, we bring back MVJ president and co-founder Russell Midori to promote the MVJ 2023 Convention in New York City in October. We also chat with MVJ Mentorship Program manager Simone Doroski and mentorship alumni Jordan Sartor-Francis about a powerful program that pairs our members with journalism experts in the field. Listen as the guests > talk about the what's happening at the convention this year ... and there's a lot! tout the skills mentees learn from their mentors, and how it's landed them jobs and internships explain how to sign up to the mentorship program and the convention We also added a new feature to the Sword and Pen that highlights stories in the MVJ Newsletter, and stay for the end of the podcast because we go back into time and listen to memorable quotes from some of our esteemed past guests. This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King ⁠⁠@intro2pj⁠⁠ / Drew Lawrence ⁠⁠@df_lawrence⁠⁠ Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at ⁠⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠drew@mvj.network⁠

On this episode of Sword and Pen, we highlight the missions and roles of an Ohio Air National Guard public affairs office and its staff. The podcast was recorded out of 180th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office during their monthly drill in June 2023. Representing the wing's PA office: Public Affairs Officer Maj. Matt Eck; Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker; and two public affairs specialists, Staff Sgt. Kregg York and Airman First Class Sarah Stalder-Lundren. They are all Defense Information School (DINFOS) graduates. Listen as they > talk about the role and mission of an Air National Guard public affairs office tout the skills they learned while attending DINFOS review the social media policy of the PA office and its staff explain how they chose the public affairs field and the 180th Fighter Wing discuss the benefits the 180th offers the community and its airmen The 180th Fighter Wing, home of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, provides combat ready airmen for federal, state and community missions. You can follow the 180th Fighter Wing on Twitter  and view their work on the 180th's Website This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King ⁠@intro2pj⁠ / Drew Lawrence ⁠@df_lawrence⁠ Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at ⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠ and/or ⁠drew@mvj.network

On this episode of Sword and Pen, guest Anthony Vazquez talks about his transition from being a landing support specialist in the marine corps to a visual journalist at the Chicago Sun-Times, a newspaper that canned its entire photo staff for journalists using smartphones in 2013. If you are a photojournalist, a journalist who takes their own images, a student who wants to be a visualist storyteller, or a military veteran who wants to break into visual journalism, this episode is for you. Listen as Anthony > Talks about how his military experience played a key role in covering one of his first big breaking news stories for the Associated Press in Mexico Makes a case for veterans working in the newsroom Explains how he went from working at a grocery store to being a member of Report for America to interning at the Sun-Times (and he never left) Discusses what's happening at the Sun-Times now, a decade after the photo department was replaced because the management wanted more videos You can follow Anthony on Instagram  and view his work on his Website This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King ⁠@intro2pj⁠ / Drew Lawrence ⁠@df_lawrence⁠ Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at ⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠ and/or ⁠drew@mvj.network

On this episode of Sword and Pen, navy and army veteran Caron LeNoir talks about her vast experience in journalism, business and activism. Baltimore native Caron comes from a family with deep artistic and political roots. She first takes us back to her childhood, and how her family of accomplished artists directly influenced her ability to tell stories through multiple formats. She started performing on stage at age 3, was on the radio in the second grade, and literally grew up in the darkroom. Listen as Caron, the founder of CARONISMedia Group and The Center for Sensual Arts, delves into podcasting advice, entrepreneurship, the power of networking and activism, and her commitment to MVJ and its speaker's bureau. Caron on ⁠Twitter⁠ | Instagram | LinkedIn This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King ⁠@intro2pj⁠ / Drew Lawrence ⁠@df_lawrence⁠ Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at ⁠lorikingblog@gmail.com⁠ and/or ⁠drew@mvj.network

On this episode of Sword and Pen, MVJ member and retired Marine Corps officer Riccoh Player and acclaimed Oscar and Emmy nominated director and writer Frederick Marx talk about their passion for filmmaker and storytelling, and how they both share a mission to tell the stories of military veterans.  They zero in on veterans transitioning into successful civilian lives, so this podcast is dedicated to veterans making that transition. Listen as they also talk about how MJV can help reignite the creative fire that can be distinguished because of guardrails put up during military service; why the military should provide paid mentors to those transitioning into civilian life; and their collaboration on Warrior Films, founded by Frederick. They discuss Frederick's Veterans Journey Home five-part documentary series, which includes Kalani's Story, about a veteran who suffered from PTSD but through therapy and help made it to the other side.  Amazon link to Riccoh's book Off the Record | Link to Riccoh's podcast The Warrior's Voice Trailer to full feature file Veterans Journey Home | Warrior Films: Veterans Journey Home series This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network

On this episode of Sword and Pen, guest Ben Kesling talks about his quick transition from being a marine corps combat veteran to a reporter at the Wall Street Journal and a published author. Listen in as Ben also reads a passage from his new book, Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and its Aftermath, a story of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the men of one unit, part of a combat-hardened parachute infantry regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division. Ben, an MJV member and one of our Top 10 Military Veterans in Journalism in 2022, talks about how he funded journalism school at Medill at Northwestern; shares his love of his four young children with storytelling that makes a difference; and gives us his backstory to being a two-time winner on Jeopardy. Ben on Twitter | To buy his book, go to Bravo Company | Link to RSVP to Ben and Russell Midori's longform journalism webinar on Jan. 12! This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network

In this special Veterans's Day episode of Sword and Pen, listen to nine one-on-one interviews featuring MVJ members who attended our first in-person 2nd annual MVJ Convention and Career Fair in Washington D.C. in October.  The interviews were conducted by Jeff Pierce, director of broadcast and media partnerships for that radio station. Jeff set up his remote radio station booth on the first floor of our venue at the Reserve Organization of America building. We each told our own stories: Why we joined the military, what drove us to go into journalism, and what inspires us now. I’m also excited to announce that because of a new content-sharing agreement with Wreaths Across America radio, our show is now in their regular scheduled line-up. It can be heard at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio on Mondays at 10 a.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. EST. It begins with the very first episode of Sword and Pen. The nine guests: Zack Baddorf | Russell Midori | Ben Kesling | Devon Lancia | Tim Lenard | Chip Lauterbach | Noelle Wiehe | Caron LeNoir | Lori King This episode was produced by Lori King Sword and Pen is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew F. Lawrence Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence Got an idea for a podcast? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network

On this episode of Sword and Pen, Allison P. Erickson of The Texas Tribune and Tim Lenard of The Nevada Independent talk local news, transitioning from serving to reporting, and how veterans can make themselves an asset to their newsrooms. Take a listen as Tim and Allison take us through working in state-focused newsrooms and how they act as the responsible arbiters of information between their community and national issues. Co-host Drew F. Lawrence speaks with both reporters about the challenges of transitioning as a veteran, their fellowships and the joys of the community that make it rich with professional opportunity and support. Allison's Twitter | The Texas Tribune Tim's Twitter | The Nevada Independent This episode is hosted by Drew F. Lawrence Sword and Pen is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew F. Lawrence Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence Got an idea for a podcast? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network