Stuttering in the Newsroom with Pro Publica’s Mariam Elba

The movement to expand diversity and inclusivity in newsrooms is growing. Yet stuttering, a speech disability affecting nearly 1% of the population, is seldom talked about in the newsroom.

This week, Mariam Elba speaks with Maya and Cynthia about what it’s like to have a stutter in the newsroom. Mariam, a woman who stutters, is a research reporter at Pro Publica and an adjunct professor at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Journalism School. Mariam talks about her journey to becoming a reporter and how she didn’t let her stutter get in the way of pursuing journalism as a career and teaching.

“Don't be afraid to kind of go after what you feel really passionate about. Like if there are stories that you like, that you're seeing, and that you want to write about and report on that you're not seeing elsewhere, you should be the person to do that reporting. And that like, you know, your stutter doesn't like make you any less qualified to be someone speaking in like a public-facing setting.”

Other topics mentioned:

• Power of mentorship
• Having a stutter and teaching
• Meeting other people who stutter in the newsroom
• Being around other people who stutter for the first time
• Advice for aspiring teachers who stutter
• Tips for introducing yourself as a person who stutters in a group
• Asking about a person’s stutter: a positive real-life example
• The challenges of following up with sources
• Maya’s experience working in PR with a stutter 
• Dealing with stress at the workplace

Mentioned in the episode:

• CUNY’s Craig Newmark’s School of Journalism
• Pro Pubilca
• The Nation

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