Aisha Roscoe

Please, just, I'm going to ask just nicely.

Martin Oliver of Los Angeles, California.

Martin Oliver of Los Angeles, California.

Martin Oliver of Los Angeles, California.

Well, I think that because he has lost a lot and with the Emmys and things like that, I think we should give it to him. I think you're right.

Well, I think that because he has lost a lot and with the Emmys and things like that, I think we should give it to him. I think you're right.

Well, I think that because he has lost a lot and with the Emmys and things like that, I think we should give it to him. I think you're right.

I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday story from Up First, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. As a journalist, you know, sometimes there are stories that just stick with you. And, you know, I'm certainly not alone in that. Some people, when they're reporting, encounter a story that changes their entire life. And that's what happened to Barbara Bradley Haggerty.

I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday story from Up First, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. As a journalist, you know, sometimes there are stories that just stick with you. And, you know, I'm certainly not alone in that. Some people, when they're reporting, encounter a story that changes their entire life. And that's what happened to Barbara Bradley Haggerty.

I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday story from Up First, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. As a journalist, you know, sometimes there are stories that just stick with you. And, you know, I'm certainly not alone in that. Some people, when they're reporting, encounter a story that changes their entire life. And that's what happened to Barbara Bradley Haggerty.

For years, Barbara covered the Department of Justice and religion for NPR. She eventually moved on to become a contributing writer for The Atlantic, still focusing on issues of law and justice. But then in the summer of 2016, she was on the hunt for a new story, and she called a favorite source of hers, Jim McCloskey.

For years, Barbara covered the Department of Justice and religion for NPR. She eventually moved on to become a contributing writer for The Atlantic, still focusing on issues of law and justice. But then in the summer of 2016, she was on the hunt for a new story, and she called a favorite source of hers, Jim McCloskey.

For years, Barbara covered the Department of Justice and religion for NPR. She eventually moved on to become a contributing writer for The Atlantic, still focusing on issues of law and justice. But then in the summer of 2016, she was on the hunt for a new story, and she called a favorite source of hers, Jim McCloskey.

Jim was a former seminarian who found his calling reinvestigating the cases of people who he had thought had been wrongly convicted. So when Jim picked up Barbara's call, she asked him this one question. What's the case that haunts you? Here's how he answered.

Jim was a former seminarian who found his calling reinvestigating the cases of people who he had thought had been wrongly convicted. So when Jim picked up Barbara's call, she asked him this one question. What's the case that haunts you? Here's how he answered.

Jim was a former seminarian who found his calling reinvestigating the cases of people who he had thought had been wrongly convicted. So when Jim picked up Barbara's call, she asked him this one question. What's the case that haunts you? Here's how he answered.

At the time, Ben Spencer had been in prison for 30 years. Ben is a Black man, and he was convicted in 1987 of killing a white man in Dallas. Jim believed he was innocent. A judge had even declared him innocent 20 years after the original conviction. But the elected judges on the Texas High Court had disagreed, and so it seemed Ben would spend the rest of his life in prison.

At the time, Ben Spencer had been in prison for 30 years. Ben is a Black man, and he was convicted in 1987 of killing a white man in Dallas. Jim believed he was innocent. A judge had even declared him innocent 20 years after the original conviction. But the elected judges on the Texas High Court had disagreed, and so it seemed Ben would spend the rest of his life in prison.

At the time, Ben Spencer had been in prison for 30 years. Ben is a Black man, and he was convicted in 1987 of killing a white man in Dallas. Jim believed he was innocent. A judge had even declared him innocent 20 years after the original conviction. But the elected judges on the Texas High Court had disagreed, and so it seemed Ben would spend the rest of his life in prison.

For the next seven years, Barbara dedicated herself to reporting on Ben Spencer's case. Now she's written a book about it, Bringing Ben Home, A Murder, A Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice. She joins us now. Welcome to the podcast.