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The News Man Weekly Podcast is brought to you by our friends at Relax, It’s Just Coffee!
MANSFIELD — Mansfield native Tom Joudrey, creator of Passenger Seat — a three-part podcast revisiting the harrowing 2012 kidnapping of Jennifer Hurst — is the guest on episode No. 110 of the News Man Weekly podcast.
Joudrey, who now works at Penn State University, explains what drew him back to a story from his hometown, how he reconstructed Hurst’s 12-hour ordeal in audio format, and why the series ultimately became about much more than the crime itself.
The conversation explores Hurst’s remarkable composure during the kidnapping; the collateral damage of addiction; Joudrey’s trip to Grafton Correctional Institution to interview kidnapper Nathan Taylor; and the ethical challenges of telling a true-crime story involving real people and lasting trauma.
Joudrey also discusses why, more than a decade later, Hurst still feels compelled to tell her story — and what creating Passenger Seat taught him about storytelling, journalism and his hometown.
Also this week, the 2026 Richland County Fair is underway. That means one thing to host Carl Hunnell — fair food. Hunnell offers a peek at his top five all-time fair foods, which includes fair fries drenched in vinegar at the top of the list.
The crew also digs into the latest Richland County headlines, including the investigation into the May killing of 18-year-old Le’Ondra Messner; new economic development projects taking shape across the county; and a debate at Mansfield City Council over whether more resources should be directed toward proactive youth violence prevention.
This episode is powered by the great folks at Relax, It’s Just Coffee.
Relevant links:
- Listen to Passenger Seat on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
- Mansfield police seek public help in finding 4 ‘persons of interest’ from May homicide
- Prevention vs. OT: Mansfield lawmaker pushes city to target root causes of youth violence
- Manufacturing expansions and historic revivals anchor Richland County growth, officials say
- Find all of our 2026 Fair coverage
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Watch the Tom Joudrey interview:
