It won’t take long for you to get hooked on Adults in the Room, a new eight-episode series from KUOW Seattle Public Radio about a charismatic high school teacher named Tom Hudson and the two student journalists whose accusations of improper conduct lead to his suspension and who eventually committed suicide.
One of the two self-described best friends became a lawyer. The other became a journalist. And you can probably guess what happens next: After 20 years wondering if they had done the right thing, the two decided to start interviewing former classmates and searching for long-ago records.
In this new interview, KUOW managing editor Isolde Raftery — the journalist half of the best friends duo — tells the story behind the podcast. The station wasn’t initially interested. The listener response has been massive. The reactions have been sharply divided. And the surrounding ethical questions are up for debate.
“There was one call I think [we made] to Kelly McBride at Poynter,” says Raftery about the external part of the vetting process, which was extensive within the station. “But I don’t feel like I need someone else — people I don’t know, who don’t know the context, who don’t know me, don’t know how I work — I don’t need them to weigh in.”
Watch or read the interview transcript above (or on YouTube), or listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previously from The Grade
Your high school journalism teacher was a serial sexual predator. (Matt Drange)
Sexual predators & self-protective school systems (Courier Journal / Jess Clark)
Other pieces from The Grade about school sexual misconduct.
Requiem for a parent-run education podcast (Seattle Hall Pass)
How I unintentionally became an education reporter (Minneapolis)
How the Seattle Times’ COVID coverage missed the mark
