{"id":16729,"date":"2026-02-05T14:45:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=16729"},"modified":"2026-02-05T23:36:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T23:36:57","slug":"soledad-obrien-character-driven-storytelling-documentaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2026\/02\/05\/soledad-obrien-character-driven-storytelling-documentaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Soledad O\u2019Brien on character-driven storytelling in documentaries, and the power of being a witness"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Award-winning journalist and executive producer Soledad O\u2019Brien joins Storyboard contributor <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/authors\/christina-m-tapper\/\">Christina M. Tapper<\/a> for this week\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">Nieman Storyboard podcast<\/a> to discuss her career journey from TV news to documentaries, and how she came to embrace the form for storytelling on social issues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>As one of the most respected voices in journalism, working at NBC, MSNBC, and CNN, O\u2019Brien founded <a href=\"https:\/\/soledadproductions.com\/\">Soledad O\u2019Brien Productions<\/a>, a media production company that develops and produces projects on race, class, gender, and identity, in 2013. Most recently, she anchored and produced the political magazine show &#8220;Matter of Fact with Soledad O&#8217;Brien&#8221; during a 10-season run for Hearst TV. O\u2019Brien\u2019s reporting has been honored with 10 Emmys and three Peabody Awards.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-html mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-18626704\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/18626704-soledad-o-brien-on-character-driven-storytelling-in-documentaries-and-the-power-of-being-a-witness.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-18626704&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ Follow us in <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/nieman-storyboard\/id1804505440\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4cN4SOwf5Am05PoA9wckcA\">Spotify<\/a>, or your <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">favorite podcast app<\/a>. ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>In 2025, O\u2019Brien served as executive producer for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oscars.org\/oscars\/ceremonies\/2026\">Oscar-nominated<\/a> HBO Max documentary short, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbomax.com\/movies\/devil-is-busy\/24d3b05e-15a0-4f17-9545-5f07dd381d7d\">The Devil Is Busy<\/a>,\u201d directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton, about a day at an Atlanta abortion clinic and the fight for reproductive rights. O\u2019Brien and her team decided to tell the story through Tracii, the head of security at the clinic. Patients and clinicians are featured in the documentary, but it\u2019s Tracii\u2019s story that is the thread from start to finish in this post-Dobbs era piece.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cAs a character, she&#8217;s very vibrant and she&#8217;s very contradictory. You start with Tracii doing her daily prayer with her pastor,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cWhen you think about abortion clinics, if I were to say to a hundred people on the street, this is a story about a very religious person and an abortion clinic, I think a lot of people would think I was talking about a protester. So we thought it was a very interesting thing that you didn&#8217;t see a lot of \u2014 a deeply religious person who is not just welcoming to the women, she&#8217;s the security guard. She&#8217;s responsible for the women who are coming in. She&#8217;s a wonderful narrator. She really drives the story forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <section class=\"block block-embed\">\n                <div class=\"video-responsive\">\n        <iframe title=\"youtube\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p4rC1468JuQ\" frameborder=\"0\"\n                allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"\n                allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    \n    \n    \n  <\/section>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>In many ways, O\u2019Brien\u2019s work across TV, docs, and podcasts is not just just a record, but also an act of witnessing, which she learned to do early in life. While home from college, O\u2019Brien returned to her former high school in Long Island, N.Y., to pick up her mother who worked there as a school teacher. During her visit, O\u2019Brien and her mother saw the principal and vice principal at the mostly white school, talking with a young Black student.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cI remember my mom stopping and standing there, planting herself. The principal and the vice principal said, \u2018Mrs. O&#8217;Brien, we got it. You can move on.\u2019 And she just stood there and would not move on. Kind of like, \u2018No, I&#8217;m good.\u2019 I remember the kid looking at my mom, and I remember thinking, Oh there is this power transfer. My mom suddenly was the most powerful person in the room,\u201d O\u2019Brien recalls. \u201cThen finally the principal said, \u2018You know, don&#8217;t run in the halls.\u2019 And the kid went off. It was so interesting. Because I think [my mom] was basically telegraphing like, \u2018I&#8217;m not gonna do anything, but I am here to be a witness of whatever&#8217;s going to happen with this kid.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>It\u2019s an experience that O\u2019Brien shared while speaking at live events in the past. Given the current political and cultural turmoil in the U.S., O\u2019Brien retells the story to urge everyone to be a witness during these times.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cI think there&#8217;s something about being unmovable. Everybody should think about it. I&#8217;m not just going to move along when I see something unfolding,\u201d she says. \u201cNot just for me and my work, but I think everybody kind of has that opportunity. Today, especially, in an environment where there&#8217;s just a lot of stuff unfolding every day.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>O\u2019Brien also discusses how her CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina shaped her career, and how to tell fair and full stories without \u201cboth sides-ism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The excerpts below are edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On how she develops trust with her subjects and manages their concerns<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>You just tell people what you want to do and you&#8217;re honest about it. \u2026 Every so often you&#8217;ll get someone whose dream is to be a director and they&#8217;re like, \u201cHere\u2019s the way I see this going.\u201d And sometimes, they&#8217;ve got really good points. So I listen to people if they have something they want to add. \u200aI don&#8217;t think you have to worry about them pushing back and being worried, when on the front end you&#8217;ve done all the work to say, \u201cHere&#8217;s what we&#8217;re doing .. and here&#8217;s what we&#8217;re doing next.\u201d And it makes sense, right? Because they&#8217;re seeing it. There&#8217;s nothing worse than feeling like someone&#8217;s misleading you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>For a lot of people, being on television, it&#8217;s their first time. And it&#8217;s scary [for them]\u2026I don&#8217;t give people the questions I&#8217;m going to ask [ahead of time], mostly because I might not stick to them. [I tell them], \u201cHere&#8217;s basically what we&#8217;re going to cover. If you need to stop because you want to look up a statistic, you are welcome to stop and get that.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On determining the length and format of her projects<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>I&#8217;ve had stories that I thought were a series and someone would say, \u201cActually, that&#8217;s a great movie.\u201d I&#8217;ve had shorts that someone said, \u201cYou know, this thing is going really well, let&#8217;s make it a full length.\u201d Sometimes money dictates it\u2026 [\u201cThe Devil Is Busy\u2019] was 31 minutes. It probably started at a little over 40 or 50, but then you start cutting it down and then you say, \u201cOkay, this works. This makes sense.\u201d But there&#8217;s no magic formula for it, at all.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On what dictates her role for each project<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aIt really depends on if you&#8217;ve sold it and somebody says, \u201cWe need this to be a correspondent-driven piece.\u201d Conversely, lots of places do not use correspondents at all. Sometimes people just want wraps. So a lot of times it depends on what the person wants, and often we have a big say in that. If someone&#8217;s buying your project, they buy into your theory of how the story should be told.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Sometimes we come in, I&#8217;m asked to be an executive producer, we&#8217;ve got a bunch of projects that people have asked me to pop in and it&#8217;s really their project. And sometimes I give funding, sometimes I give advice, sometimes [I] throw the party at the end. Sometimes I&#8217;m in the field shooting and doing interviews. So it really depends, for each project, what&#8217;s needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On how her Hurricane Katrina coverage for CNN shaped the journalist she is today<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>For me, it really opened my eyes to the kind of reporting I wanted to do. And in some ways it made my career. I got a lot of airtime, so I could make mistakes and get better and practice. We did a lot of live anchoring, meaning you just stand there hour after hour doing interviews. I remember bumping into [New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin]. I popped a mic on him and we did a really great walking interview through the walkway around the Superdome. You know, just off the top. No prep, no nothing. But you didn&#8217;t need it, because your prep was that you had been there for a long time. I&#8217;m very proud of the work. It made me feel very proud to be a journalist.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On \u2018both sides-ism\u2019 in journalism and telling the full story<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u200aI find the both sides thing so frustrating\u2026. [It\u2019s like] the journalist feels a little guilty, \u201cI just want to make sure I&#8217;m covered.\u201d And so they&#8217;re just not really sure of the story they&#8217;re trying to tell. Fran Tarkenton, the [NFL] quarterback, said to me once, \u201cSoledad, if you have three quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks.\u201d And, and I remember thinking like, \u201cI know nothing about sports metaphors! That means absolutely nothing to me, Fran. Thank you.\u201d But what he was trying to say was, if you don&#8217;t commit to the story you&#8217;re going to tell, then you have nothing. You have a big blob of trying to pop lots of different things in and you end up with nothing at all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>[For \u201cThe Devil is Busy,\u201d we did not] sit down and say, \u201cNow we wanna hear from the [anti-abortion] protestors.\u201d This is Tracii&#8217;s day in her life of what she does, who she interacts with, how it works. And you do have to figure out where do the protestors come in? What is the experience you&#8217;re showing in the piece? The experience that patients are having? That the clinicians are having? That Tracii and the security team are having? If you had not put the protesters in at all, it would be so unrealistic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listening and Watching List:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbomax.com\/movies\/devil-is-busy\/24d3b05e-15a0-4f17-9545-5f07dd381d7d\">\u201cThe Devil Is Busy\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/1119-murder-on-the-towpath-wit-272685783\/\">Murder on the Towpath with Soledad O\u2019Brien<\/a>\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/1119-who-killed-jfk-127000428\/\">Who Killed JFK?<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tTuz_gcsiqc\">War on La Radio<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=o_cS8sW6ewk&amp;t=3s\">The End of Affirmative Action<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbomax.com\/shows\/black-and-missing\/dff267ab-7d92-4406-85a7-cecdbccb1aaf\">Black and Missing<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/82018736\">The Perfect Neighbor<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81676595\">Katrina: Come Hell and High Water<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.messagepics.com\/about\">Geeta Gandbhir<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/christalyn\/\">Christalyn Hampton<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show credits<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Nieman Storyboard podcast\" class=\"wp-image-15145\" style=\"width:338px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-40x40.png 40w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-180x180.png 180w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-360x360.png 360w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-115x115.png 115w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-230x230.png 230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Hosted and produced by Mark Armstrong<br>Episode producer and interview by Christina M. Tapper<br>Episode editor: Kelly Araja<br>Audience editor: Adriana Lacy<br>Promotional support: Ellen Tuttle<br>Operational support: Paul Plutnicki, Peter Canova<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Nieman Foundation interim curator: Henry Chu<br>Music: \u201cGolden Grass,\u201d by Blue Dot Sessions (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sessions.blue\/\">www.sessions.blue<\/a>)<br>Cover design by Adriana Lacy<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Nieman Storyboard is presented by the <a href=\"https:\/\/nieman.harvard.edu\/\">Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The veteran journalist and documentarian shares how her late mother\u2019s act of defiance is a practice we should all embody <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,7],"tags":[482,427,498],"topics":[],"authors":[460],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-16729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","category-5-questions","tag-characters","tag-documentary","tag-tv","authors-christina-m-tapper"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Soledad O\u2019Brien on character-driven storytelling in documentaries, and the power of being a witness - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The veteran journalist and documentarian shares how her late mother\u2019s act of defiance is a practice we should all embody\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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