Megan Leonhardt, economics reporter at Barron's, shares her unconventional journey from aspiring food and travel writer to data-obsessed financial journalist – despite being terrible at math and taking her macro and micro econ classes as summer school courses. In this conversation, she reveals what it takes to break through at a top-tier publication, why she recently told a longtime source his AI-generated pitches are unusable, and what PR pros get wrong when pitching data journalists. Megan discusses navigating multimedia demands with candid insights on the route to creating a distinctive pitch.

Peter Valdes-Dapena has lived every major shift in modern journalism, from the first digital newsrooms to today’s algorithm-driven landscape. In this episode, he speaks with Larissa Padden about what’s changed, what’s been lost, and the signals that point to where the industry is moving next. They cover the rise of Substack, Peter’s own Substack InCar, the pressure on freelancers, and the role of AI in news discovery.

Jon Swartz, Techstrong reporter and former USA Today technology correspondent, shares his journey from small-town Georgia newspaper to Silicon Valley insider. He reveals why journalism still matters in PR strategies, which stories break through the noise, and what happens when local newspapers disappear. Drawing from decades covering everyone from Apple to defunct startups, Swartz explains why the best reporters still pick up the phone, why he avoids writing too seriously about himself, and how the death of local news creates PR challenges no one anticipated.

Veteran banking journalist Steve Cocheo, Senior Executive Editor at The Financial Brand, describes the AI-driven pitching crisis overwhelming his inbox – 80 irrelevant PR emails a week, many from people who’ve never read the publication. The breaking point came when a publicist admitted she’d used ChatGPT to identify outlets, and the system confidently but wrongly claimed The Financial Brand covers CFO issues.

Drawing on four decades in financial media, Cocheo explains why the same machine intelligence that helps Capital One detect fraud still fails at basic media research. He contrasts algorithmic laziness with on-the-ground reporting – like walking unannounced into bank branches to find real stories. He highlights two cases showing where human judgment still wins: Citizens Bank’s 10-minute account-switching tool, which challenges industry inertia, and Ardent Credit Union’s “Auto Concierge” program, which uses ex-dealership staff to guide car buyers.

His message to communicators is blunt: AI can assist, but it can’t replace understanding what journalists actually cover.

Caroline Nihill, reporter at IT Brew covering cybersecurity and IT strategy, joins Larissa Padden to discuss her unconventional path from fashion writing to tech journalism and her firm stance against using AI in her reporting. Caroline reveals why she believes the most effective pitches focus on expertise over product launches, and how she finds unique story angles that resonate with human readers.

We explore the stark divide between Gen Z's AI skepticism and corporate enthusiasm, the reality of covering emerging threats like pig butchering scams, and why Caroline believes journalism is one field where AI shouldn't replace human creativity. She shares her best and worst case scenarios for AI's future, from a Clueless-style wardrobe assistant to complete human replacement and offers candid advice for PR professionals trying to build meaningful relationships with tech reporters in 2025's rapidly evolving media landscape.

Diana Britton trashes half her daily pitches before reading past the subject line. The WealthManagement.com Executive Editor wants CEOs who will actually say something, not PR-trained robots. Plain language, not "leveraging synergies." The first trillion-dollar RIA, not the five hundredth firm to hit $500M.

She also runs The Healthy Advisor, exploring why financial advisors face higher addiction and burnout rates than other professions. The connection: both roles reveal an industry eating itself alive. Her podcast guests—many cancer survivors—describe how near-death experiences changed their relationship with the eat-what-you-kill mentality that defines wealth management.

Britton's been covering this space since 2010. Your market commentary pitch? Bloomberg already has it. Your client's milestone? Nobody cares unless it changes the industry. Want coverage? Give her something her readers can use Monday morning, not another vendor sales pitch disguised as thought leadership.

The Jesse H. Neal Award winner's verdict: most executives say nothing, most pitches die unread, and most advisors are burning out. She's documenting all of it.

In this episode of Cogcast, host Larissa Padden sits down with Geoffrey Barraclough, founder of The Business of Payments newsletter and part-time Westminster City Council member. Geoffrey shares his unique journey from payment industry executive to influential Substack creator, offering insights into how the media landscape is evolving beyond traditional journalism.

He reveals how major payment companies are building relationships with newsletter creators, why some $10 billion companies remain under-covered by mainstream media, and how PR professionals can effectively engage with this new breed of industry influencers. Geoffrey also provides a fascinating perspective on the differences between U.S. and global payment systems, and shares which PayTech companies are truly innovating in the space.

In this episode of Cogcast, Larissa Padden sits down with Jennifer Riggins, a tech journalist who's spent 16 years bridging the gap between developers and business value. With her unique perspective as a non-technical writer covering developer experience and the culture of tech, Jennifer offers insights on AI's real purpose in the workplace, the importance of protecting junior developer roles, and why every PR professional needs to understand the human stories behind technology. From Formula 1 engineering to the environmental cost of data centers, discover why the most interesting tech stories are always about people, not features, in this episode