Life After News
What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again?
Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over.
From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after.
Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.
Life After News
🎙️ How You Go from Journalism to PR: Lessons from Josh Rubenstein 🎙️➡️🛡️
🎙️ This episode doubles as your playbook. You’ve told stories on deadline; now you’re thinking about owning the story for an organization. Here’s how to make the jump from newsroom to PR on purpose, not in panic.
What you’ll learn 🧭
- How to plan your pivot years before you need it
- The real difference between reporting news and making news
- How to operate inside big orgs where buy-in beats speed
- Crisis rules: why the story always changes and how you communicate that
- The mindset shift to truth-telling within legal limits (no spin)
Step-by-step game plan ✅
- Pick a mission you can sell on your hardest day.
If you can’t defend it tired, stressed, or under fire… keep looking. - Stack credentials that widen your lane.
Add a degree/certificate outside journalism (e.g., Public Administration, Policy, Health Comms). It signals range. - Build reps in public service before you switch.
Join advisory boards, volunteer with public safety, healthcare, or education. Show receipts, not just interest. - Learn the legal/ethical rails.
In PR you are accountable to the org, the public, the media, and the law. Know what you can’t say and why. - Design your 24/7 boundaries.
Crisis can be round-the-clock. Protect your health and family rhythm; choose roles and teams that honor that. - Teach what you know.
Guest lecture or adjunct. Teaching sharpens your message discipline and grows your network.
Call to action 👉
If you’re mapping your own pivot, follow the show, rate & review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, and share this episode with one colleague who needs a nudge.
#LifeAfterNews #JournalistToPR #CareerPivot #CrisisComms #BrandReputation #PublicService #MediaCareers #TruthTelling #GetTheCake 🎧
Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.