MILWAUKEE — A former TV reporter who broke the story of Jayme Closs's escape from captivity is sharing her own story of alcohol abuse and recovery in a new book.
Beth McDonough, the journalist who reported on Wisconsinite Jayme Closs's escape after 88 harrowing days in captivity, has written "Standby," a memoir about finding redemption through recovery.
McDonough's turning point came 16 years ago when she woke up in jail for the second time in two years. She saw her own mug shot on a TV monitor in the jail cell as anchors reported on her arrest.
"Oh no, my career and my life as I know it is over. So very over," McDonough said.
Her boss at the Minneapolis TV station where she worked called her in and fired her.
"You had a job for life, you helped to put on the map, but as of today, you are no longer of use to us because you can't be a crime reporter when you commit a crime," McDonough said her boss told her.
The consequences continued to mount. McDonough said she hit someone on the highway at 80 miles per hour, though the person wasn't hurt. She was sued and said she "lost everything."
"We know it sounds awful whenever you're going to get a DUI, but I want to show people the consequences, what they look like behind the scenes, maybe as a cautionary tale," McDonough said. "But also, how something that you caused, that is self-imposed and self-inflicted, how you can turn it around."
The book takes readers behind the scenes of her experiences in jail, court and on the streets.
In the full interview, McDonough also discusses research about the different effects of alcohol on women versus men and the "No-vember" non-drinking challenge, which encourages people to give up alcohol for November.
Watch Beth McDonough's interview on Sunday night on TMJ4 News at 10.
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