Ep 31- Breaking the Silence with News Legend Mary Jo West

On this episode we welcome Phoenix broadcast legend Mary Jo West, the city's first primetime anchorwoman starting in 1976. West discusses her history-making career, which began when government mandates opened doors for women in media. Crucially, West reveals the personal tragedy that fueled her journalism: her own mother was a victim of domestic abuse in the 1950s. This experience drove West to produce a groundbreaking series on domestic violence in the 1970s. She highlights how tough it was to cover the issue, recalling a moment when her male co-anchor publicly doubted her statistics on air. West's story is a testament to using a platform to address the "elephants in the room" and break the enduring silence around interpersonal violence.