Episode 4, Part 1: Peter Hartlaub's First Ride with the SF Medical Examiner's Office

Photo by Michelle Kilfeather

We all pay our dues somehow. In 1999, budding reporter Peter Hartlaub needed to prove his mettle. He pitched and was assigned a feature story about the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office, which had been the subject of some bad press in recent months. The experience turned out to be enough for Peter to realize just what type of journalist he needed to be.

This is Part 1 of Peter's Storied: San Francisco podcast. It's about the origins and background of his ride-alongs with Medical Examiner's Office investigators Graham Cowley and Bill Tolliver, including Peter's first exposure to their work, and a Peter Rabbit reference.

We recorded Peter's stories in the basement of the Chronicle building, among the photo archives seen in the photo above.

Check back on Thursday for Part 2 of this three-part episode.