The News Hits Home, Hard

In the category of "the news hitting home," comes the tale of NPR reporter Ketzel Levine, whose own situation became the final installment in her series about how Americans are coping with financial reversals. As part of "American Moxie: How We Get By," Levine broadcast multiple stories about how Americans handle economic pressure.

"My idea was to look at how we adjust, how we change, and what we have to dig deep and find in order to do what it takes to get by," she told the New York Times. The twist was that the stories were always connected. If a farmer sold some cows, Levine's next piece might be about the person who bought the cows. "We came up with the idea that each person should be connected with the next somehow, and that was the best part for me," says Levine. "I'd go on a story and have absolutely no idea what the next story would be--I'd have to find it while I was there."

When it came to the last installment in the series, she didn't have to look far. It turns out that Levine, a senior reporter for NPR, was part of the recent downsizing at the public radio network.

There was some hesitation about reporting on her own situation but in the end, Ellen McDonnell, director of morning programming, relented. "She found out in a very personal way what it's like to have to start over again and to have that moxie she spoke about," she noted.

As for that moxie, well it took Levine some time to reveal her situation to her listeners. "It's only today that I'm sane enough to tell you," she reported in her short piece that ran about ten days ago.

Levine has no idea what she will do next, but, ever the professional, did recognize the incredible irony of her situation. "Every story that we all do, we're always looking for the perfect ending," she said. "And suddenly it was handed to me. It was not one of my choosing, but as a story teller, what could make a better story?"