On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Devon Lancia sits down with guest Benjamin Goldhagen for a conversation on the art of creating war documentaries that tell the human perspective. As the son of a Holocaust survivor, Benjamin’s personal history fuels his work, currently focused on showing the human cost of war from the lense of the conflict in Ukraine. During this conversation, he discusses his experiences with filming conflict and what fellow journalists need to know about war coverage today.
Benjamin's two documentaries on the conflict in Ukraine, The Steel Porcupine and To the Zero Line, are available to watch online for free. Follow Benjamin on X to keep in touch with his work or reach out on the Goldhagen Group website!
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, join host Devon Lancia and guest David Kendrick for a conversation on mental health in veterans coverage. Using his experience as a Purple Heart veteran during the troop surge in Iraq, David tells his own story and those of veterans across the country to help bridge the military-civilian divide and give audiences a better understanding of what veterans need in mental healthcare. He also advocates for improvements in the VA system and general treatment of and sentiment around individuals with disabilities.
Follow David on YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook to keep in touch with his work or reach out for storytelling advice!
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production. Find out more about us at www.mvj.network.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, listen in as host Devon Lancia speaks with former Army officer and veteran empowerment leader Chris Marvin about his story, his advice for fellow storytellers, and his tips for firearm violence coverage. As the veteran engagement lead with Everytown for Gun Safety, Chris and his fellow veterans from all walks of life and backgrounds are helping shape the conversation around firearm safety - including how journalists can help.
Everytown and its Veterans Advisory Council have just released their newest project: Train SMART, a first-of-its-kind program designed to provide both current and prospective firearm owners the info needed to learn and understand the same training, safety, and accountability military veterans have learned when owning and operating firearms. Check out Train Smart here to learn more: https://trainsmartgunsafety.org/
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production. Find out more about us at www.mvj.network.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, listen in as we honor this year's Top Ten Veterans in Journalism awardees. Hear each speak about the stories they were selected for and their career experiences from our Top Ten Veterans in Journalism spotlight panel at #MVJ25 on July 8, 2025.
Since 2021, MVJ has acknowledged and celebrated the outstanding contributions of veterans who are excelling in the news media via the Top 10 Veterans in Journalism awards. Find out more about this year's awardees and their pieces on the MVJ Blog: https://www.mvj.network/2025-top-10-veterans-in-journalism-winners-announced/
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, MVJ Partnerships Director Devon Lancia sits down with Drew F. Lawrence, Marine Corps reporter at Military.com, host of the Fire Watch and Army veteran. Listen in as Drew discusses his own career journey, his advice for learning as much as possible early on, and the importance of readiness and taking care of yourself before - and after - becoming a journalist.
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly discusses women veterans issues and considerations with Ginger Baine Miller, the CEO of Women Veterans Interactive Foundation. Listen in as the two talk about WVIF's efforts to build community for women veterans.
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, MVJ Partnerships Director Devon Lancia sits down with Sara Samora, MVJ Advisory Board member, Manufacturing Dive journalist and Marine Corps veteran. Tune in to learn about Sara's journey to get to where she is today and her advice for fellow vets looking to get started in business coverage.
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly sits down with Dr. Kortni Alston Lemon, journalist, happiness scholar and co-chair of NABJ's Wellness Task Force, to discuss her efforts to support mental health in newsrooms. Listen in as the two discuss the value of journalists and newsrooms seeking ways to maintain stability and seek happiness in the churn of the news cycle.
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly honors Black history and Black military history while looking back at the Military Veterans in Journalism community in 2024. Listen in as LeNoir-Kelly and MVJ Board Member Zack Baddorf talk about what MVJ accomplished over the past year, what the future holds, and the importance of including veteran voices in journalism.
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
Military Veterans in Journalism board members Lucy Bustamante and Zack Baddorf start off the year talking about the value of vets in covering the new administration, plus some tips on how to jumpstart your career in media.
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with navy veteran, MVJ member and NPR radio producer Jason Burrows.
Burrows broke into radio onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln by volunteering for the ship's radio station, KRUZ-FM.
After ETSing from the navy, he landed his first radio gig as the "Jack of all Trades" at 96.5 Jack-FM, where he served for 15 years.
Burrows, a Seattle resident, is part of the production team for KUOW's Soundside. KUOW is an NPR affiliate.
Listen as Burrows talks about:
Find Jason on his webiste and X
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with army broadcast journalist Lance Milsted, a former Defense Information School instructor.
Milsted, the chief of production services at DoD's Defense Media Activity (DMA) talks about his belief that everyone has a story to tell, and an important part of journalism is to tell those stories, to make people feel something, to get to know the subjects of our stories and ensure we stay out of the way and let them tell stories.
Listen as Milsted also talks about:
Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with investigative reporter and former marine infantryman James LaPorta, who, after exiting the military, broke into journalism by cold calling editors and agreeing to work for bylines.
You are about to hear an inspiring story of how LaPorta, with no journalism experience or degree, tenaciously built a journalism career working for multiple mainstream news outlets, the first being the Washington Post.
LaPorta, who was recently laid off from The Messenger, also shares his story about that sudden job loss. The Messenger was a startup nonpartisan news website that hired more than 300 journalists and, in less than a year, laid them all off with no warning. He was the national security and military affairs reporter.
Listen as LaPorta talks about:
Find James LaPorta on his website | X
Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with journalism tool extraordinaire Mike Reilley, who just published his second book, The Journalist's Toolbox: A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI.
Reilley has made it his mission since 1996 to continuously stock his trademarked online Journalism Toolbox with every kind of tool, resource and training you can imagine, including AI-driven tools, video training and links.
If there's a tool out there, he's found it, or seeks to find it.
Listen as Reilley talks about:
The Journalism Toolbox.ai | Mike On X @itsmikereilley
Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.
On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with Air Force officer and filmmaker Allie Delury, who is celebrating her one-year anniversary of her production company, Work Our Way, on Dec. 30, 2023.
Allie, who began her journalism and military career at the University of Minnesota, talks about her journey from tv reporter to business owner; what it was like going from social media manager to disconnecting from it; how a controversial documentary about abortion led her to start her LLC; why you should never let fear of failure or insecurity stop you from perusing anything you want to do; and how motherhood in April will compliment her business, not slow it down.
To view Allie's work, go to Website
To view Lori King's work, go to Website
Got an idea for a podcast guest or topic? Shoot Lori an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, brought to you monthly by host Lori King
On this special episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King spoke with four attendees during the 2023 MVJ Convention held Oct. 5-7 in New York City.
First up at the mic was Dan Clare, a Marine Corps and Air National Guard veteran. He was a military public affairs officer for 17 years, and is now the director of communications for DAV, Disabled American Veterans, who sponsored the MVJ Career Fair.
Dan talked about his experience as the burn pit whistleblower, the value of having veteran voices in the media, and about his hope that veterans get hired in journalism at the career fair, where he operated a booth for DAV and sat on the Shaping News Coverage of Disabilities panel.
Patrick Martin is an army airborne infantry veteran from Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism - and is now a producer for the NBC News Health and Medical Unit.
Patrick came to the convention to give a tour of the NBCUniversal studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and sat on the NBC panel. He talked about how important it is to get veterans into newsrooms, as well as his role as an NBC producer.
Evgenia Vlasova is a Brooklyn-based video producer, editor and educator. She has been teaching at the New York Film Academy for eight years. Evgenia is not a veteran, but she is a member of MVJ. She spoke about the power of storytelling and how she helps her students adjust to the big city.
She talked about how her veteran students have discipline, being a broadcast journalist in her homeland of Russia, and how the media there is government controlled. She is currently seeking her citizenship.
Juan Carpanzano hails from Bogota, Colombia and lives in New York City. He is a marine veteran who spent five years with Combat Camera.
He is an advance media studies major at Fordham University, concentrating in photojournalism. He talked about his belief that everyone has a voice, and offered this for advice: Push, push, push, and be confident in yourself!
Connect with the guests!
Patrick Martin: LinkedIn profile | NBC Health News
Evgenia Vlasova: Instagram
Juan Carpanzano: Instagram
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by host Lori King
Lori King: X @intro2pj | Instagram | Website
Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot me an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com
On this episode of Sword and Pen, host Lori King speaks with army veteran and freelance journalist Cyrus Norcross, one of MVJ's 2023 Top 10 Journalists of the Year.
Cyrus, who was an army ranger for six years before pursuing journalism, talks about his Navajo Nation heritage, his winning entry that earned him the journalist of the year award, and his passion for telling stories about the Indigenous community.
Cyrus, who now freelances for Indian Country Today, has been published in the Native News Online and the Navajo Times. He is a member of MVJ and the Indigenous Journalist Association.
Connect with Cyrus: LinkedIn | Website | Instagram
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by host Lori King
Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj
Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot me an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com
On this episode of Sword and Pen, we bring back MVJ president and co-founder Russell Midori to promote the MVJ 2023 Convention in New York City in October.
We also chat with MVJ Mentorship Program manager Simone Doroski and mentorship alumni Jordan Sartor-Francis about a powerful program that pairs our members with journalism experts in the field.
Listen as the guests >
We also added a new feature to the Sword and Pen that highlights stories in the MVJ Newsletter, and stay for the end of the podcast because we go back into time and listen to memorable quotes from some of our esteemed past guests.
This episode is hosted by Lori King
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence
Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence
Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network
On this episode of Sword and Pen, we highlight the missions and roles of an Ohio Air National Guard public affairs office and its staff. The podcast was recorded out of 180th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office during their monthly drill in June 2023.
Representing the wing's PA office: Public Affairs Officer Maj. Matt Eck; Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker; and two public affairs specialists, Staff Sgt. Kregg York and Airman First Class Sarah Stalder-Lundren. They are all Defense Information School (DINFOS) graduates.
Listen as they >
The 180th Fighter Wing, home of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, provides combat ready airmen for federal, state and community missions.
You can follow the 180th Fighter Wing on Twitter and view their work on the 180th's Website
This episode is hosted by Lori King
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence
Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence
Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network
On this episode of Sword and Pen, guest Anthony Vazquez talks about his transition from being a landing support specialist in the marine corps to a visual journalist at the Chicago Sun-Times, a newspaper that canned its entire photo staff for journalists using smartphones in 2013.
If you are a photojournalist, a journalist who takes their own images, a student who wants to be a visualist storyteller, or a military veteran who wants to break into visual journalism, this episode is for you.
Listen as Anthony >
You can follow Anthony on Instagram and view his work on his Website
This episode is hosted by Lori King
Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence
Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence
Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network