Alisa Roth Joins MPR Newsroom as Part of APM's Call to Mind Initiative

Roth will serve as MPR News’ first reporter dedicated to covering mental health

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 11, 2018 – Call to Mind, American Public Media’s mental health initiative, is bringing increased reporting on the topic mental health to audiences with the addition of a seasoned reporter to the MPR News staff. Alisa Roth, an experienced journalist, is joining MPR News this fall as the newsroom’s first reporter dedicated to covering the topic of mental health.Roth is the author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, which was published this spring and received acclaim for its coverage of the mental health crisis within the American criminal justice system. Roth, a former reporter for Marketplace, has also written for The New York Times and The New York Review of Books. A former Fulbright Scholar, she also has reported for NPR and The World.“We are so thrilled to have Alisa bring a focused approach to mental health coverage,” said Babette Apland, managing director of Call to Mind. “The depth of her experience reporting on mental health makes her the perfect person for this role. Mental health is essential to wellbeing for everyone and through Alisa’s reporting, we hope to inspire greater conversation about mental health across the state.”Inspired by You, MPR’s capital campaign, makes funding for this mental health initiative possible. Call to Mind’s five-year national initiative aims to inform and mobilize new conversations about mental health. Its initial focus is primarily on Minnesota and MPR’s regional services, which includes MPR News. It will expand to national audiences via American Public Media’s reach and through partnerships.“As a news organization, we have a responsibility to cover the stories that closely affect our audiences,” said Nancy Cassutt, director of MPR News. “Mental health is an obvious subject that deserves closer coverage. We’re very pleased to now have Alisa’s responsible and thorough reporting available to our listeners.”Roth’s coverage begins this month.