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# Podcast: Inside The Reporters' Notebooks For Stories On Mental Health, Opioid Addiction In Iowa
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/podcast-inside-the-reporters-notebooks-for-stories-on-mental-health-opioid-addiction-in-iowa/
- Published: 2016-11-21T14:08:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-11T02:40:42.000Z
- Description: In-depth reporting on health and government topics requires a large investment of resources and time by journalists. We talk with three Iowa journalists about work they did behind the scenes for important stories.
- Author: Thomas Nelson
- Tags: Health, iowawatch, Uncategorized, Brittany Robb, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Des Moines Register, heroin addiction, Iowa drug policy, Iowa mental health institutes, IowaWatch Connection, Lee Hermiston, mental health, Opioid Addiction, Thomas Nelson, Tony Leys, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

In-depth reporting on health and government topics requires a large investment of resources and time by journalists.

###### LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCASTS:

###### [Inside The Reporter’s Notebook: Register Reporter Describes Investigation Into Stranded Mentally Ill Patients](https://investigatemidwest.org/inside-the-reporters-notebook-register-reporter-describes-investigation-into-stranded-mentally-ill-patients/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)

###### [Inside The Reporter’s Notebook: Gazette Series Humanizes, Raises Awareness Of Heroin Addiction](https://investigatemidwest.org/inside-the-reporters-notebook-gazette-series-humanizes-raises-awareness-of-heroin-addiction/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)

How some of those stories make it in print and on the air might surprise you. IowaWatch summer 2016 intern Thomas Nelson interviewed Tony Leys of *The Des Moines Register* about an example of Leys’ reporting of a [man stranded at Broadlawns Medical Center’s psychiatric unit](http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2016/06/18/mentally-ill-iowans-stranded-months-hospitals/85713926/?ref=investigatemidwest.org) in Des Moines for a year and two months after being cleared for release.

IowaWatch’s summer 2016 Society of Professional Journalism fellow Brittany Robb interviewed Lee Hermiston and Chelsea Keenan of *The Gazette* (Cedar Rapids, IA) about [a series of stories they wrote ](http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/heroins-hold-how-iowans-struggle-x2014-and-sometimes-succeed-x2014-in-overcoming-opioid-addiction-20160605?ref=investigatemidwest.org)about opioid addiction in Iowa.