Jordan-Marie Smith

Professional highlights from a digital and audio journalist making a name for herself by telling stories you need to hear.

[jordanmariesmith]

My most important work yet

You likely know someone who died from opioids/drugs. I know of 16. 8 were friends with each other. All from my hometown of Greenville, North Carolina. 11 months. Interviews with friends, families, and teachers. What overdoses did to my hometown from The Washington Post. Listen to the podcast episode I pitched, produced, wrote, and tracked: https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/what-drug-overdoses-did-to-my-hometown/ Read the story I co-reported: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2022/drug-overdose-deaths-fentanyl-greenville-nc/

Watch the companion video: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/the-toll-of-drug-deaths-on-a-parent-and-a-teacher/2022/12/02/91bb8e68-e0ce-411c-ac9d-740f82b6fcbe_video.html

[jordanmariesmith]

Wrote about La Tejana, the buzzy breakfast taco joint in D.C.

read the whole thing here

On a typical Saturday morning, La Tejana co-owner Gus May leaves his Mount Pleasant apartment, climbs down a rickety spiral staircase and hears the feasting rats below scatter. Sometimes, if the moon is out, he’ll look up at the sky and pray for good vibes.

“You know, I’ll look up to the stars and be like, ‘Hey, hope the taco gods are on our side today,’ ” May, 32, tells me later in the day.

Saturdays are the busiest days for the folks who work at the Mount Pleasant breakfast taco haven, which opened in its permanent home this summer. In true neighborhood fashion, everyone comes out for theweekly farmers market. And there’s almost always a line at La Tejana.

The Saturday I tagged along with May, vendors were already setting up around 6 a.m. in the neighborhood square between Mount Pleasant and Lamont streets. Sometimes, May says, Friday-night revelers are still going strong as he walks to work.

A sign outside the white-painted storefront reads, “La Tejana breakfast tacos y más.” Inside, there’s a shrine to all things Texas over the coffee counter. Opposite the pickup window, black hills are silhouetted against a pink and red sky in a mural by local artist Nate Mann.

[jordanmariesmith]

Hosted Post Reports episode about Black Sperm Donors (or the lack thereof)

Post reporter Amber Ferguson has spent months reporting on why  so few Black men donate sperm. She found that the reasons for the shortage are myriad: failure of sperm banks to recruit Black donors; a selection process that demands a three-generation medical history and excludes donors with felony convictions; mistrust of the medical profession by Black men because of a legacy of historical discrimination. The result is a severe shortage, and intense competition for Black men’s sperm.

America has a Black sperm donor shortage

[jordanmariesmith]

Won a Gracie Award for "Teens in America!"

via The Post's public relations blog.

The Washington Post and YR Media, a nonprofit media, music and tech incubator, won in the category Original Online Programming – Standalone Audio for the “Post Reports” “Teens in America” series, which was hosted by Martine Powers. Over the course of five conversations with a diverse group of teen reporters from YR, the series gave listeners an intimate view into the tough conversations young people are having about race with their families and friends. This was the brainchild of Krissah Thompson. Lynda Robinson was the architect of the wider “Teens in America” series. The audio effort was led by editor Robin Amer and assistant producer Sabby Robinson, along with producer Jordan-Marie Smith and sound engineer Sean Carter. Additional editing was provided by Maggie Penman. Photo editor Natalia Jimenez gave the project a more personal feel in its presentation with an idea of using selfies of the teen reporters as the main images. Video technician Justin Scuiletti edited the teens’ videos for the landing page. Web design was by Audrey Valbuena, design editing by Suzette Moyer and copy editing by Jordan Melendrez. Social media editing and production by Angel Mendoza, Courtney Beesch, Claire Tran, John Taylor and Ali Pannoni.

Additional editing and production by YR’s team, led by Kyra Kyles and Rebecca Martin.

I proudly produced an episode about what a Black teen's parents did and did not tell her about what it's like to be Black in America. I also produced a look into one teenager's life about what it means to pass as White. Listen to all of their episodes here.

[jordanmariesmith]

Been working on a bigger project since January

Stay tuned!

(lol this is not helpful at all)

[jordanmariesmith]

A tweet from Oct. turns into an episode with NPR's "Life Kit" in March

Back in October '21, I came up with the idea to do a "Life Kit" episode about how to take mental health leave from work. Flash forward to March '22, I hosted, reported, and scripted out an episode about not just mental health leave but also how to create a psychologically safe space at your job. The episode is for managers, employees, 9 to 5ers, and people who don't work corporate desk jobs. It's for everyone and takes you from being in tune with yourself to see if anything is wrong to taking a break from work. Big thanks to Meaghan Keane and Andee Tagle. Having Jody Adewale on the show was such an honor.

Listen to the episode from NPR's "Life Kit" here.

Listen to the Post Reports version with a bit more info about why I wanted to do the episode.

[jordanmariesmith]

My stint hosting Post Reports in December 2021

Was tapped to host Post Reports last year and had a blast. Both episodes were very much up my alley. The first ep listed here included my own field reporting from a visit to Howard University. That segment was all about the mold issues at the illustrious institution and how privatization plays into this problem and problems at other schools. The second episode listed was all about Twitter's then-new CEO. A lot happened with Twitter since then, to say the least.

Listen to the Howard episode here.

Listen to the Twitter episode here.

[jordanmariesmith]

"We did it, Joe." Issa Rae is on Post Reports.

This was a huge passion project of mine and started back in Spring 2021. Pitched, booked, scripted, wrote questions, gathered tape, and assembled (cut). Thanks to Reena Flores for edits, Martine for being amazing, and Sean Carter for mixing.

Here's a write-up Martine and I wrote for The Post.

[jordanmariesmith]

Peabody, baby!!!

Post Reports: The Life of George Floyd | The Peabody Awards

George Floyd’s death made global headlines. The world witnessed his last gasps for breath as a police officer kneeled on his neck for minute

Post Reports won a Peabody, y'all!

[jordanmariesmith]

Britney, again!

I served as the interviewer for this Post Reports A segment about Britney Spears speaking out. Listen below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/free-britney/

[jordanmariesmith]

Found this lil gem recently. Made me :D

[jordanmariesmith]

BB's lil promotion

no longer an associate, now a full Producer at Post Reports!

Read everyone else's promotion news here!

[jordanmariesmith]

Olivia Rodrigo + vaccinated reunions + baseball

As my boss said:

Jordan-Marie brought us so much joy this week – in the form of an OMT about Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour that I literally danced to every time I heard it, a baseball show for the kick off of our summer Fridays, PLUS the joyous one more thing about Americans reuniting, which brought tears to my eyes!!

1. Why we're so sweet on Olivia Rodrigo's sour. (24:11)

Bye-bye, Bibi?

Listen to this episode from Post Reports on Spotify. What it’ll take to replace Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Why we’ll probabl

2. Vaccinated reunions. (16:24)

Fauci’s inbox

Listen to this episode from Post Reports on Spotify. What we can learn from Fauci’s emails. Why tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Fr

3. Is baseball...okay? (Full episode)

Is baseball broken?

Listen to this episode from Post Reports on Spotify. Baseball is back, and almost normal — which means the sport is once again plagued with

[jordanmariesmith]

I received a 2020 NABJ Salute to Excellence award!

presented at 55:36

The award from the National Association of Black Journalists was for the piece I produced about Black pregnancies, for Post Reports (Washington Post). Listen to the segment here.

The power of black motherhood: Finding joy beyond the numbers on maternal mortality

Listen to this episode from Post Reports on Spotify. Helena Andrews-Dyer looks for joy in her pregnancy in the face of scary statistics abou

Cheers to the entire team that helped make this podcast segment happen.

[jordanmariesmith]

My first guest spot and episode for Post Reports

Produced

Researched

Performed all interviews

Interviewed by host Martine Powers

Featured as an entire episode

Listen to the episode here.

Janice Wesley Kelsey was 16 when she faced White police officers in the Children’s Crusade of 1963 in Birmingham, Ala. The Black youths ages 7 to 17, marching peacefully in the name of civil rights, were met with billy clubs, German shepherds and fire hoses.

News crews flocked to the place nicknamed “Bombingham,” and the footage helped prompt President John F. Kennedy to urge Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

On the 58th anniversary of the Children’s Crusade, Post Reports producer Jordan-Marie Smith reports on the impact of the march and how its tactics are reflected in the modern civil rights movement.

You can find more resources on the Children’s Crusade at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, at the National Civil Rights Museum and in the archives at Alabama Public Radio.

[jordanmariesmith]

A very good week (3.1-3.5.21)

Was a guest on WUNC (a NC NPR station), for “Embodied:” A show about sex, culture, and everything in between. Got the amazing opportunity to talk about Britney Spears!

(Listen here!)

Hosted a Washington Post podcast called The Daily 202′s Big Idea

Madison Cawthorne

Jill Biden + coffee!

female stars and the early 2000s media machine

lifting mask mandates

Harry and Meghan!

Pitched and produced a Bachelor franchise + racism 12-minute segment featuring Emily Yahr from The Post and Ali Barthwell from Vulture--for Post Reports.

The “Bachelor” franchise is facing a public reckoning after revelations about a contestant’s racist past. Style reporter Emily Yahr and Vulture writer Ali Barthwell explain what happened, and what this episode can tell us about Bachelor Nation and reality television as a whole.

(at 16:59) 

[jordanmariesmith]

I made this back when Old Town Road got realllly popular. Check it out!