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Description

Catalyst is a specialty unit within the KXAN investigative team focused on ”digital-first” storytelling that aims to spark positive change in society. The group takes a multi-platform, innovative approach to each project, including this KXAN Catalyst Podcast.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from KXAN Catalyst podcast

S8 E4: Victimology of the Rainey Street Ripper

2026/03/01

As social media speculation swirls, Austin police partner with an expert in serial killers and their hunting grounds to dispel rumors of a predator near Lady Bird Lake.

S8 E3: Folks Having Their Drink Spiked

2026/02/22

After losing loved ones in Lady Bird Lake, families push Austin leaders for years to implement new safety initiatives surrounding alcohol and the downtown waterway.

S8 E2: Saw My Brother’s Body Floating

2026/02/15

Mitchell Gutierrez speaks out about his brother’s Lady Bird Lake drowning, his family’s fight for answers and why he believes a serial killer is behind the deaths.

S8 E1: Just Wander Toward the Water

2026/02/08

Following dozens of drownings in Austin’s downtown lake, KXAN explores solutions in other U.S. cities, including volunteer student patrols in a northern college town.

S8 Trailer

2026/02/01

Hear the serial drownings trailer now.

S7 Update: More Medical Examiners to the State

2025/07/14

Following KXAN’s reporting on Texas’ death investigations, lawmakers look at ways to modernize the state’s system amid legislative challenges and cost concerns.

S7 Bonus: Patchwork of Death Investigations (Analysis)

2024/12/09

KXAN’s Josh Hinkle, David Barer, Arezow Doost, Eric Henrikson and Dalton Huey discuss challenges they faced while investigating Texas’ death inquest system.

S7 E3: Wanted an Autopsy on that Child

2024/12/02

While Texas’ justice of the peace system has evolved since its start in 1824, counties are slowly replacing the death inquest part of their role with medical examiners.

S7 E2: Murdered Down by Backbone Creek

2024/11/25

As Texas’ population grows, so do critics’ concerns over elected officials investigating death. As Daynon Lewis’ case unfolds, state lawmakers look to the future.

S7 E1: Found Hanging by a Jump Rope

2024/11/18

A teenager’s mysterious death in 1965 resurfaces in the Texas Hill Country, prompting a new review of her case and the inquest system still used across the state.

S7 Trailer

2024/11/11

Hear the death inquests trailer now.

S6 E3: Can’t Hide Who You Are

2023/11/13

KXAN newsroom leaders and Francisco Vara-Orta of Investigative Reporters & Editors discuss overcoming blind spots and personal bias when covering controversial topics.

S6 E2: Part of Your Identity

2023/11/13

KXAN journalists share the inner challenges they face when reporting on issues intersecting with their identities and the communities to which they belong.

S6 E1: Fearful for Your Safety

2023/11/13

Catalyst Host Josh Hinkle shares how the murder of a gay college student shaped his early reporting and how he now approaches LGBTQ+ coverage.

S6 Trailer

2023/11/06

KXAN explores proposed laws impacting LGBTQ+ Texans. Our journalists share how they make fair, objective coverage decisions and how their experiences shape the reporting, including the murder of a gay college student. This season is part of our “OutLaw” investigation.