BieryGolick, an alumnus of UC’s journalism program, also spent a day with a couple who’ve lost two adult children to drug-related deaths and whose remaining child is in jail for a drug-related crime.

All newspapers do stories on drug abuse, said BieryGolick, but "this project had the impact it did because it hadn’t been done before, and reporters and editors were looking for a new approach to tell it in a way that had greater impact.”

Phil Didion, A&S ’14, had only been on the job for a week when the project launched. The UC journalism alumnus took video footage of lab technicians testing for drugs at a Northern Kentucky crime lab, combed through police body cam footage and listened to heart-rending 911 calls.

“You’d hear these kids freaking out: ‘My dad said he wasn’t feeling well. I can’t tell if he’s breathing anymore,’” Didion said of some of the 911 calls he monitored. “It weighs on you. Being a journalist and hearing and seeing these things, it gets you a little bit sometimes, but you have to put on a tough face and keep going.”



‘A co-op on steroids’

Jeff Blevins, an associate professor and head of UC’s Department of Journalism, isn’t surprised to see so many Bearcat connections among The Enquirer’s team. Several Enquirer staff members teach courses at the university and UC journalism students regularly intern at the digital news media organization, where they often have opportunities to participate in high-profile work that builds resumes and boosts careers.

“It’s essentially a co-op on steroids,” said Blevins, of UC’s relationship with The Enquirer. “There’s just such interplay.”