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Jeff Cohen

Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director.

 

In addition to covering state and Hartford city politics, Jeff covered the December 2012 Newtown shootings and the stories that followed. In 2012, Jeff was selected by NPR and Kaiser Health News for their jointHealth Care In The Statesproject. Much of his reporting has aired nationally on NPR. As news director, Jeff began,which has won several awards, including one national and two regional Edward R. Murrow awards.

 

Jeff began as a reporter forThe Record-Journalin Meriden, Conn. before moving toThe Hartford Courant, where he won a National Headliner Award for a story about the ostracized widow of the state's first casualty in Iraq; wrote about his post-Katrina home in New Orleans; and was part of a team that broke stories of alleged corruption at Hartford City Hall that led to the arrest of the city’s mayor. His work has also appeared inThe New York Times.

Jeff lives with his wife andtwo daughters, whose haircutting incident brought the family more notoriety than journalism ever will.He's written two children's books, and he likes hiking, whitewater kayaking, napping outside, and making bread and wine.

  • National
    Vieques Still Finding Its Footing After Hurricane Destruction
    Jeff Cohen
    The problems facing the mainland in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria didn't skip this remote Puerto Rican island. But tourists still come and houses continue to sell.
  • After Staffer Scandal, Rep. Esty Won't Seek Re-Election
    Jeff Cohen
    Because her chief of staff allegedly abused one of her other employees and wasn't immediately fired, Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut has announced she won't run for re-election.
  • National
    Tourism Season Begins In Puerto Rico
    Jeff Cohen
    Puerto Rico is officially declaring itself open for tourism, three months after Hurricane Maria. The island needs the tourism dollars, but some visitors worry about vacationing amid the destruction.
  • At the Casa Histórica de la Música Cayeyana — a non-profit house of music in Cayey — people come together on the weekends to sing, dance, and recite poetry.
    National
    'Necesitamos La Música': Puerto Ricans Recovering From Maria Embrace The Arts
    Jeff Cohen
    Many Puerto Ricans are still without electricity and basic services three months after Hurricane Maria. Some are prioritizing song, dance and celebration to feel more at home again.
  • Alejandro La Luz Rivera returned to Puerto Rico after going to Pennsylvania because he didn't want to leave the home he and his wife built together.
    National
    Thousands Of Puerto Ricans Have Left But This 90-Year-Old Is Staying Put
    Jeff Cohen
    Alejandro La Luz Rivera misses his patio, his wife and his old life in Puerto Rico. He went to the mainland briefly, but says he won't leave his home.
  • Children in the mountain town of Orocovis returned to school two weeks ago after a two-month pause following Hurricane Maria. The school doesn't have electricity, so it lets out at 12:30 p.m.
    National
    'Their Minds Were Full Of Maria': After-School Group Brings Normal Back
    Jeff Cohen
    The stress of living in Puerto Rico without running water, electricity or Internet is especially affecting children. But they are slowly finding a new normal.
  • While more than 60 percent of Bridgeport, Conn.'s residents identify as black or Hispanic, the city's police department is majority white. So officials changed the written test and Bridgeport residents got a 15 percent bonus on their scores.
    National
    Connecticut Town Boosts Local Applicants To Diversify Its Police Force
    Jeff Cohen
    Bridgeport is giving residents a bonus on entrance tests to recruit more local officers. It could be good for community relations, but it could also mean that city officials are lowering the bar.
  • Thomas Wydra, the police chief of Hamden, Conn., decided to reform his department's traffic stop criteria after the department was singled out for stopping minority drivers at disproportionately higher rates than whites. After decreasing the number of defective equipment stops, the number of black drivers pulled over fell by 25 percent.
    National
    To Reduce Bias, Some Police Departments Are Rethinking Traffic Stops
    Jeff Cohen
    In Hamden, Conn., minority drivers were pulled over more often than whites for defective equipment, such as broken taillights. So the police changed their strategy.
  • A death certificate needs to say more than something vague like "opioid intoxication" to help law enforcement and public health officials curb the distribution of opioids, epidemiologists say. How many drugs did the person take, and which ones? Such details can help families heal, too.
    Science
    Details On Death Certificates Offer Layers Of Clues To Opioid Epidemic
    Jeff Cohen
    Deaths from opioid overdoses are on the rise, and we know that because of data on death certificates. States determine who fills them out and what information they record. And that can vary widely.
  • Carolyn Rossi, a registered nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, says the opioid epidemic has required nurses who used to specialize in care for infants gain insights into caring for addicted mothers, as well.
    Science
    To Help Newborns Dependent On Opioids, Hospitals Rethink Mom's Role
    Jeff Cohen
    When a woman addicted to opioids gives birth, she is too often dismissed as an obstacle to her infant's health. A Connecticut hospital is challenging that attitude — and the culture of care.