How To Commit Journalism

Kelly McBride, senior vice president at the Poynter Institute and public editor at NPR, recently wrote an article called "'Unarmed black man' doesn't mean what you think it means." In this episode she discusses the power of words, how they signify differently to different people and how journalists should wield them responsibly.

Four Black journalists at WRAL talk with their colleague, anchor David Crabtree, about their experiences in the workplace and in the world. Guests include producer Miriam Melvin and anchor/reporters Gerald Owens, Lena Tillett and Ken Smith.

Veteran WRAL anchor David Crabtree talks about his recent one-on-one interview with President Trump, how it came about, the particular challenge that had him a little nervous and his interviews with past presidents. To see David's full interview with President Trump go to https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/19207655/

Bill Adair was reporting on politics in DC when he realized the importance of fact-checking what politicians said, not just reporting on it. The idea of PolitiFact was born, and Adair, now a professor at Duke University, talks about its goals and its reach across the country. WRAL PolitiFact reporter Paul Specht explains the process each fact-check undergoes before ever making it online or on-air. For complete PolitiFact coverage from WRAL go to https://www.wral.com/politifact/18768740/

Balancing being a wife, mother and working professional is complicated and tough for most women, but add in being an evening news anchor at a top-25 television market, along with an author, and things get really interesting. In her second book, The Juggle Is Real, Molly Grantham, anchor at WBTV in Charlotte, poignantly weaves in the loss of her mother with her own struggles as a working mother of two young children, with insight, humor and self-reflection. This episode of How To Commit Journalism goes behind the scenes of a working journalist as she tries to keep all the balls of life in the air. Learn more about Molly Grantham at https://www.mollygrantham.com/​

Four WRAL reporters who covered protests following the death of George Floyd talk about their experience reporting on the peaceful marches, vocal crowds and violent riots, along with the police responses that followed. They discuss what teargas feels like when it hits your eyes, memorable interviews with protesters, and what it's like to cover the destruction of a city you love. The discussion features reporters Aaron Thomas, Amanda Lamb, Bryan Mims and Joe Fisher, along with host Ashley Talley. For WRAL's video coverage of the protests, go to https://www.wral.com/protest/17382846/

WRAL multimedia journalist Joe Fisher has covered all of the protests in downtown Raleigh held by Reopen NC, a grassroots organization whose numbers have swelled through social media, which pushes for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to reopen the state more quickly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. From social distancing during a crowded protest, to handling a live shot when someone is shouting at you, Fisher goes behind the scenes on what it's like to cover these protests. To watch's Joe Fisher's reports, including his coverage of the Reopen NC protests, go to https://www.wral.com/rs/bio/17927550/?historical=1

Long-time WRAL reporter Bryan Mims talks about his own special brand of storytelling, who is influences are, what he wants to be when he grows up, what the real "f-word" is, and advice to young journalists to "fall in love with the marriage of words and pictures." Links to the stories mentioned in this podcast: --Sanitation worker story: https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/sanitation-workers-unsung-heroes-in-virus-outbreak/19056074/ --Nurse reuniting with son: https://www.wral.com/photo-captures-reunion-of-wakemed-nurse-son-separated-by-pandemic/19051710/ --Moncure murder/suicide: https://www.wral.com/after-murder-suicide-bonds-of-family-remain-strong-along-moncure-flatwood-road/19016707/ --Grocery store impact: https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/northampton-county-grocer-fights-to-keep-his-town-fed/19065821/​ Learn more about Bryan Mims: https://www.wral.com/rs/bio/1019406

Leyla Santiago reported at WRAL News before becoming a national correspondent for CNN. First based in Mexico City and now in Washington, D.C. Santiago has traveled the world in her journalism career, focusing on Latin America for part of her time with CNN. While at WRAL, she and a photojournalist traveled to the Rio Grande Valley to tell the story of the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the border into the U.S. Their documentary of that reporting, The Journey Alone, won the prestigious Alfred I. DuPont Award. Santiago talks about what it's like covering coronavirus from her home in Virginia. To watch The Journey Alone, go to https://www.wral.com/13866187

Assignment editors at WRAL are on the front lines of covering the COVID-19 pandemic, because they answer the calls, emails and messages from the public.​ They act as therapists to the recently out of work mother who doesn't know how she'll house her children, a resource for retirees trying to understand if they're eligible for the federal stimulus, and sometimes even a calming voice for a laid-off worker frustrated by the inability to contact the employment commission who just wants someone to listen and understand their anger. WRAL assignment editor Jamila Elder talks about what it's like to be on first line of contact for an entire area dealing with a new reality. For WRAL's complete coronavirus coverage go to http://www.wral.com/coronavirus

While most of the news reports are focused on the health and societal angles of coronavirus, every now and then, politics creeps in too. Here we discuss questions about who Sen. Richard Burr warned about the virus in February, how much he knew about its possible effects when he traded $1.7 million in stock and what that means for a state leader in the time of a pandemic. Links to stories: March 19: https://www.wral.com/burr-sold-stocks-before-pandemic-tanked-market/19020599/ March 20: https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/burr-calls-for-ethics-investigation-after-stock-sell-off/19021737/ March 30: https://www.wral.com/fbi-reaches-out-to-sen-burr-over-stock-sales-tied-to-virus/19035608/​

Social distancing. Community spread. Flattening the curve. The phrases are a new vocabulary we're learning to speak, and WRAL News is making changes to how it delivers news and weather on a daily basis. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell talks about setting up a green screen in her dining room to be able to do weather from home, and WRAL photojournalist Richard Adkins discusses how the COVID-19 crisis is helping newer photojournalists learn from older ones, and vice versa. For updated coverage, https://www.wral.com/coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting work for millions of Americans. How does a news staff function in this new reality? A shared "newsroom" is a place where producers, editors, directors and crew work together, but how can that happen safely in a time of social distancing? Is it safe for reporters and photographers to gather interviews outside the TV station and then come back to the newsroom? In this episode of How To Commit Journalism, Executive Producer Ashley Talley talks with Joel Davis, VP and General Manager WRAL-TV and FOX50 about the changes taking place inside the WRAL Newsroom. They discuss logistical challenges of protecting staff while continuing to report the news during the COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive coverage of the coronavirus: https://www.wral.com/coronavirus

The coronavirus has already impacted our lives in ways we never imagined. So how do you cover a news story that affects everyone in so many different ways? What precautions does a news organization take to make sure they continue to deliver the news? In this episode of How To Commit Journalism, WRAL News Executive Producer Ashley Talley talks with Assistant News Director Aysu Basaran and Director of Digital Content Jodi Glusco about the challenges of covering COVID-19. They discuss WRAL's approach to reporting on this all-encompassing story and their efforts to keep journalists safe while continuing to reach out for the latest information. Jodi talks about the constant drive to deliver updated, credible information on all platforms; TV, web, mobile and email, while Aysu discusses how this particular story strikes at the core of a journalist's mission: to inform the public. For updated coverage, https://www.wral.com/coronavirus

Can you cover government without covering politics, or are the two inextricably linked? How has social media changed the landscape of political reporting? Are cable news networks propagating polarizing agendas because of the economic incentive they have to play to their base? WRAL News veteran political reporter and capital bureau chief Laura Leslie talks about the complicated nature of covering politics and government in the present climate.  https://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/

Documentary producer is a dream title for many young filmmakers. For 15 years, Clay Johnson has served in that role for WRAL, producing over 70 documentaries across North Carolina. Here, he talks about the path that brought him to his career, discusses some of his most memorable topics, and his team’s most recent documentary, “Out of the Darkness,” which focuses on the growing issue of teen suicide through the story of one young woman. www.wraldocumentary.com

WRAL reporter Sarah Krueger has covered the intense debates over the removal of Confederate monuments in North Carolina, including the toppling of "Silent Sam," the statue erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in 1913 and the subsequent legal fallout. She discusses the complicated conversations that go into covering these events.

As technology advances, so does the way police can use it to keep people safe. But the line between security and privacy becomes more and more blurry. WRAL investigative reporter Tyler Dukes talks about his work digging into local agencies using facial recognition technology and what happened when he started asking questions.

Raleigh Police officer K.E. Van Althius did a standard pat-down of a woman suspected of DWI in the early hours of a September morning. Body cam footage showed Althius unzipping her jacket, inspecting her shorts and touching her in what the young woman’s attorney said was an improper manner. WRAL Reporter Amanda Lamb walks us through the tough decisions that shaped how the story developed and how she covered the release of the video from all angles. Links: Video of the pat down https://www.wral.com/attorney-says-video-of-raleigh-officers-pat-down-goes-too-far/18746262/ Amanda's original stories: https://www.wral.com/woman-accuses-state-trooper-of-excessive-force-in-traffic-stop/18729498/ https://www.wral.com/attorney-raleigh-police-officer-s-search-during-dwi-arrest-goes-too-far/18746188/ Raleigh police demonstrate how they train officers to conduct searches https://www.wral.com/raleigh-police-show-how-pat-down-procedure-works/18749784/ Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown press conference: https://www.wral.com/raleigh-police-chief-union-defend-officers-search-of-dwi-suspect/18749087/

Introducing a podcast from WRAL News that pulls back the curtain on what it takes to report the news.