While the COVID-19 pandemic caused many disruptions at the beginning of this decade, it sparked a relationship between two of Pittsburgh’s most prominent sports journalists, eventually leading to their marriage.

The Athletic’s Steelers reporter, Mike DeFabo, and WPXI-TV Sports Director Jenna Harner did not meet in a traditional sense. Instead, they met through Zoom calls in which groups of journalists interviewed athletes and coaches during the pandemic.

“We knew each other because we were on the same Zoom calls,” said DeFabo, who was at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time. “It was funny because we would be interviewing Sidney Crosby and they would say, ‘Next question, Mike DeFabo from the Post-Gazette,’ and then ‘Jenna Harner.’ ”

While they got to know of each other from these interviews and social media, they had yet to meet in person. After that finally happened, sportswriters around them started pushing them to get together.

“We knew who each other were, and we followed each other on Twitter,” Harner said. “Everyone was trying to ‘ship’ us, and so a lot went on behind the scenes as people were playing matchmaker.”

Eventually, after in-person reporting returned, they got to meet.

“We finally met in the press box at PPG Paints Arena, and that was the first time we really talked,” DeFabo said. “All the sportswriters were saying we would make a good couple, and I was reluctant because the last thing I wanted was an awkward situation at work.”

Harner, who had recently arrived in Pittsburgh, had similar concerns.

“I did not want to come here as the new person and have an awkward situation, because everyone knew Mike,” Harner said.

While others in Pittsburgh sports media encouraged them, it was their mutual friend, veteran Pittsburgh sportswriter Rob Rossi, who really helped get the relationship started.

“They talked to me about each other all the time during that (Penguins) playoff round, and at the end of the season. They were overthinking it,” Rossi said.

So DeFabo decided to go with the casual date approach, to avoid awkwardness if things did not work out. 

“Rossi was playing matchmaker and told both of us we should go for it,” DeFabo said. “Eventually, I asked her out for tacos in a casual way, so if it was not the right vibe, then it would be just two friends getting tacos. We went to a place called Kaya in the Strip, and we were there for four hours.”

More dates followed over the years. Then, on June 22, 2024, the couple got married.

While Pittsburgh weddings are known for their “cookie table” dessert displays, DeFabo and Harner’s cookie table was particularly popular. DeFabo’s mom made over 5,000 cookies, with the table spanning two walls. 

“The wedding was fantastic. Mike’s mom, Lynn, whom I also know well, made an incredible cookie table,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter Brian Batko said.

Amusingly, in a separate interview, Rossi also raved about the cookies.  

“I don’t even know how to describe it, in terms of how many types of cookies there were. There were types of cookies I’d never heard of. Big cookies, iced cookies, cookies I have never seen before. I didn’t believe it.” Rossi said. 

Their media friends agree that DeFabo and Harner make a great couple – and that they are both outstanding journalists as well. 

“Mike is really a dogged reporter. He’s naturally curious, and I think he has a great feel for what’s a good story,” Batko said.

Rossi agreed.

“One of the things I recognized in Mike was that he’d always made that extra call for a story,” Rossi said. “I think he’s got a natural talent for work, but his dedication and his willingness to never settle make him great.”

Harner, meanwhile, stands out among the Pittsburgh sports journalists for several reasons, Rossi said.

“She will ask tough questions as a reporter,” Rossi said. “She really knows her stuff. Jenna probably knows more about the game of hockey than I do after covering it for 21 years.”

Batko praised her tireless work ethic.

“With Jenna, her enthusiasm is probably unmatched,” he said. “She’s extremely positive and always brings a ton of energy to whatever role she’s doing.”

Growing up, Harner was inspired by watching network news channels.

“I wanted to do hard news, and growing up, Katie Couric was one of my idols. I wanted to be like her, but when I got to college, I realized really quickly that I did not want to do hard news,” Harner said. 

Her interest shifted to sports journalism at Ithaca College. Then she was offered a high-profile sports broadcast position at the college during her sophomore year – but accepting it would require her to quit playing college lacrosse.

“It was like my college’s version of College GameDay, and the position was hard to get for a sophomore,” Harner said. “I had been on the lacrosse team at Ithaca for a year, and when it was time to choose between the show and the team, it was the hardest decision of my life up until that point,” Harner said.

She chose journalism, and continued with it throughout her college years. After graduation, her first job was at the CBS station in Elmira, New York.

“I was there for about two years and then was contacted by the CBS station in Buffalo, and I spent two years there before coming to Pittsburgh,” Harner said.

The Buffalo position offered big opportunities.

“This was my biggest leap. In Buffalo, I got to cover the Bills and the Sabres,” Harner said. “It was a massive stepping stone to get me to Pittsburgh.”

Joining WPXI in Pittsburgh, she started covering the Penguins. Recently she became sports director, so she is assigning reporters to stories as well as covering stories herself.

For DeFabo, his interest in journalism began in high school, when his older sister forced him to join the newspaper. 

“I started journalism because my sister was the editor of the high school newspaper, and she was really passionate about it,” DeFabo said. “I enjoyed writing, so I decided to pursue journalism at American University.”

One of his professors worked at the Baltimore Sun covering Maryland basketball.

“He had what my job is now, but with Maryland basketball. He explained to me what it means to be a beat writer and how you’re there with the team every step of the way.”

But getting a journalism job after college was tough.

“I kept applying for jobs, but nothing came back, and I was thinking about just leaving journalism entire,” DeFabo said. “My friend encouraged me to keep going.”

DeFabo started off as a writer at The Times West Virginian and worked his way up to cover Purdue University sports at a chain of newspapers in Indiana. From there, DeFabo moved to the Lansing State Journal covering Michigan State and the Big 10, where he followed them to the basketball team to the Final Four.

After that came an offer to cover the Penguins for the Post-Gazette, and then eventually a chance to work at the Athletic.

“It worked out perfectly,” he said, calling the Steelers position “my dream job.”

As for their jobs today, both Harner and DeFabo said they enjoyed interviewing quarterback Aaron Rodgers each week. With Rodgers just recently re-signing with the Steelers on a one-year contract, those weekly interviews can continue. Both also enjoy interviewing linebacker Alex Highsmith as well as former running back Najee Harris, who could sometimes give unexpected answers. 

Regarding high school students who are interested in journalism careers, they said that teens should go into journalism if they are passionate about it, since it takes a while to advance in the profession.

Today, Harner and DeFabo are well known sports journalists in a city that loves its sports teams. Rossi said they handle the pressure well.

“The sports teams being a part of the pop culture in Pittsburgh means the people who cover the teams, for better or worse, get a lot of attention, and I think they navigate it extraordinarily well,” Rossi said. “I don’t know them as the Pittsburgh sports power couple. I just know them as Jenna and Mike.”

This story was originally published on Purbalite on May 26, 2026.