Who Gets to Tell the Story? with Jean Parker

Episode Summary 

Jean Parker returns to The Blind Chick for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about journalism, truth, and what gets lost when stories are filtered through power, ownership, and incomplete perspectives. She shares how she entered journalism almost by accident, moving from disability-focused radio into international reporting, documentary work, and NPR coverage across South Asia, while often producing stories alone in the field. 

From there, the episode turns into something deeper than a career story. Jean reflects on South Africa, human rights reporting, the limits of journalism’s power to create change, and the steady decline of trust in legacy media. Penn and Moses press into censorship, the collapse of local newsrooms, nonprofit journalism, podcast ethics, media literacy, fact-checking, and the importance of asking who gets to write the story in the first place. The result is a grounded, challenging episode about truth, responsibility, and why thoughtful journalism still matters. 

Guest: Jean Parker — blind journalist, former international reporter, and documentary producer. A specific current organization or direct contact was not included in the pasted transcript. 

Aftersight:
Website: aftersight.org
Email: feedback@aftersight.org
Phone: (720) 712-8856 

Producer Credit:
Jonathan Price — Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight 

Show Credits 

Show: The Blind Chick
Hosts: Penn Street and Moses Street
Guest: Jean Parker
Producer: Jonathan Price
Network: Aftersight