This week on Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with legendary journalist Hank Plante, a longtime Palm Springs resident and one of the first openly gay TV reporters to cover the AIDS crisis from the front lines. Hank didn’t just report the news he challenged the country’s most powerful politicians, from George W. Bush to Dick Cheney to Gavin Newsom. And now he calls Palm Springs home.
In this episode, Hank opens up about:
- Covering AIDS at ground zero when the federal government stayed silent
- Why so many younger LGBTQ people don’t fully know what those years were truly like
- How Palm Springs became a place of healing, safety, and community for survivors of the epidemic.
- His fight for honest coverage, visibility, and dignity in LGBTQ stories
- Why he believes local journalism, right here in Palm Springs, is essential for our future
Hank’s story is moving, historic, and deeply tied to our Palm Springs LGBTQ community. Whether you lived through the AIDS years or you’re part of the next generation shaping our city, this episode is a must-listen.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts
📺 Watch on YouTube