Leah Sottile joins Dakota Spotlight for a conversation about investigative journalism, the ethics of true crime storytelling, and the challenges of reporting on unresolved cases in overlooked rural communities. Leah discusses the making of Hush Season 2, the line between mystery and journalism, and the emotional weight of reporting on the 2019 death of Sarah Zuber in rural Oregon.
Following the interview, hear the first episode of Hush Season 2. In March 2019, 18-year-old Sarah Zuber was found dead just 400 feet from her family’s home in the wooded hills above Rainier, Oregon. Six years later, her family still has no clear answers. What begins as a tragic and confusing death soon spirals into a story filled with unanswered questions, community rumors, disputed forensic conclusions, and a family’s relentless search for the truth.
Listen to Hush: https://www.opb.org/show/hush/
More from Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas at The Western Edge on Substack: https://substack.com/@thewesternedge1
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