July 17, 2025
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BONUS: Zumba and Yelling at God: The Reality of Reporting Trauma
Do journalists forget their humanity on the job? How do they handle victims and survivors of trauma? How do they handle that trauma themselves?
Sam Konnert
Producer
Tristan Capacchione
Audio Editor & Technical Producer
max collins
Director of Audio
Tony Wang

Over the course of a year, reporter Molly Thomas worked on a story. It was supposed to be for CTV, but then she got laid off, and so Canadaland picked it up.

She wanted to tell the stories of young Afghan girls and women who had their lives and their education ripped away from them by the Taliban, following their takeover of the country in August 2021. She travelled halfway around the world to bring us the mini series Dear Taliban.

But what was that process like for her? What was it like for the girls and women she spoke with? How do you go back to your hotel at the end of the day, knowing you’re safe, but they aren’t? How do you leave them behind in a country that is actively hostile to them?

Molly Thomas joins Sam to talk about all of this and more, including an important update to the story.

 

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Publisher)

Guests: Molly Thomas

Additional music by Audio Network

 

Further Reading:

 

This show is available exclusively to Canadaland supporters. To become one, go to https://canadaland.com/join/. You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

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