The Book

In The Trauma Beat, an eye-opening combination of investigative journalism and memoir, former big-city crime reporter and Pickup Communications founder Tamara Cherry calls on her award-winning skills as a journalist to examine the impact of the media on trauma survivors and the impact of trauma on members of the media. As Tamara documents the experiences of those who were forced to suffer on the public stage, she is confronted by everything she got wrong on the crime beat.

From murders and traffic fatalities to sexual violence and mass violence, Cherry exposes a system set up to fail trauma survivors and journalists. Why do some families endure a swell of unwanted attention after the murder of a loved one, while others suffer from a lack of attention? What is it like to have a microphone shoved in your face seconds after escaping the latest mass shooting? What is the lasting impact on the reporter holding that microphone? The Trauma Beat explores these issues with the raw, reflective detail of a journalist moving from ignorance to understanding and shame to healing.

The Podcast

Hosted by Pickup Communications founder Tamara Cherry, The Trauma Beat podcast features conversations with trauma survivors, survivor support workers, investigators and journalists. From homicides to traffic fatalities and sexual violence to mass violence, The Trauma Beat explores how the news media covers traumatic events, the impact this coverage has on victims, survivors and journalists, and how we all might be able to tell (and consume) these very important stories, better. Subscribe and share The Trauma Beat wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.