Welcome to episode 185 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat.

Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can now get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify – follow it there and have it saved in your Spotify library.

Paula Penfold is, I think, one of New Zealand’s great investigative reporters – she’s worked as both a producer and a journalist, she’s been involved in broadcast both behind the scenes and in front of the microphone/camera (and now online) across TV, radio and is now part of the Stuff Circuit investigative broadcast unit.

She has stories for days. She’s been there – in the trenches. She’s broken stories wide open, been involved in huge cases that have changed lives. She’s done the work; is still doing the work.

So, we talked about some of that work, things like the Teina Pora case. We also talked about the toll of that work: pressures and stress, trolls, the baggage of it all – collecting contacts and stories and making connections.

I had never met Paula – but I’m a fan of her work. So the cold-call to chat to her for the podcast was answered. And last week I sat across from her at a table in an office and we talked through bits of her life and work.

We also discussed things like the Patrick Gower: On Weed documentary and various related topics. The future of journalism. The expectations of the public, the demands of amateur pundits on what the mainstream media is and isn’t doing for them.

I loved this conversation. It was a great thrill for me to meet and talk to such an experienced journalist. One of our greats. No doubt.

I hope you enjoy hearing this too. And do check out the great work she and her team offer up at Stuff Circuit.

Here now is episode 185 of Sweetman Podcast – my chat with Paula Penfold.

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