Summary

Many journalists, at some point in their careers, have had an “Ah-hah!” moment -- a sudden realization about the impact of their work or the work of their colleagues. Many of the journalists interviewed for the WNN report provided a single anecdote about an event that helped them understand and appreciate the power and purpose of journalism. We are sharing those epiphanies here.

Click on the photos to view each anecdote.

Interviews 61 - 80 of 117

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	Ginny Sohn Associate Publisher, Santa Fe New Mexican Santa Fe, NM Ginny Sohn was reminded of the power of her newspaper when a local Hispanic man came to the defense of his community at a public forum by referencing a letter, written to the newspaper by a high school boy. The lesson that letter conveyed held the day when an out-of-towner started bashing New Mexico.
	Ken Doctor Author: “Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get” Aptos, CA Ken Doctor started his career as an editor at a start-up alternative weekly newspaper in Eugene, Ore. His epiphany came when one of his reporters caught a local public official selling his vote on a major highway project and the story got results.
	Zach Ryall Online, Managing Editor, Austin American-Statesman Austin, TX Zach Ryall, a photojournalist who runs The Austin American-Statesman’s websites, recalls a multi-page spread of photos and enterprise journalism that captured the tragic episode in the life of a Texas woman. The photos and text produced by the newspaper were subsequently used to fight drunk driving. Text and pictures, he says, no other institution would have created.
	Tim Lott VP Audience Strategy, Austin American-Statesman Austin, TX Tim Lott got to see what newspapers do best when he came upon a bizarre, but unforgettable story in small Texas town. He called the impact of his story, “newspaper work at its best.”
	Fred Zipp Editor, Austin American-Statesman Austin, TX Fred Zipp was a young reporter in Beaumont, Texas, when he learned a vital lesson: verify, verify, verify -- especially when a story sounds too good.
	Keith Magill Executive Editor, The Courier Houma, LA Keith Magill witnessed the value of news when Katrina struck Louisiana in 2005. When some of his reporters “put their lives on the line” to report the story, he was reminded how much dedication journalism inspires.
	Miles Forrest Publisher, The Courier Houma, LA Miles Forrest was working on the business side of his newspaper when he helped a reporter “shine a light” on a community problem. The experience helped shape his understanding of the importance of what his newspaper did.
	Lloyd Gray Executive Editor, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Tupelo, MS Lloyd Gray was a capitol correspondent in Jackson for The Sun Herald on the Mississippi Gulf Coast when he saw the newspapers in his state champion the cause for better education for Mississippi’s children in 1982. The reporting was effective, and Gray believes Mississippi’s newspapers motivated a “psychological breakthrough” for a state that had believed it was doomed to be last.
	Clay Foster President, CEO & Publisher, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Tupelo, MS Clay Foster had to man a phone when a snowstorm enveloped his city in January 2011, and subscribers wondered when their newspapers would arrive. But the experience taught him a lesson about the reach and power of his press.
	John Walker Website Coordinator, The Opelika-Auburn News Opelika, AL John Walker learned about the power and purpose of journalism at his college radio station. Tornadoes began popping up all around his community one day and he quickly realized the unique role radio can play when other news media are disabled.
	Wayne Snow Managing Editor , The Opelika-Auburn News Opelika, AL Wayne Snow was a bureau chief for UPI in Tallahassee when he first felt the chill of breaking a story worldwide. He learned: “You really, really better get it right.”
	James W. (Jim) Rainey Publisher , The Opelika-Auburn News Opelika, AL Jim Rainey was a young reporter in western Tennessee when he discovered the AIDs epidemic had migrated to his small community. His articles shined light on the problem and alerted officials this problem warranted local remedies.
	Joe DeLuca Publisher Tampa edition and TampaBay.com, St. Petersburg Times St. Petersburg, FL Joe DeLuca was a college kid, working the late shift on the copy desk in Hartford, Conn., when the phone rang, and it woke him up to a metropolitan newspaper’s special place in its community.
	Neil Brown Editor and Vice President, St. Petersburg Times St. Petersburg, FL Neil Brown was a young reporter in Miami when a judge and his wife pleaded with him to continue coverage of their neighborhood’s dilemma, and the power of the news media was demonstrated for him.
	Paul Tash Chairman, CEO and Editor, St. Petersburg Times St. Petersburg, FL Paul Tash remembers a day when, “with a match and some kerosene,” a minister’s wife “sparked the interest” of The St. Petersburg Times. That incident led to a story that fully engaged the interest of The Times readership for many weeks thereafter.
	Jim Alred New Media Director, Rome News-Tribune Rome, GA Jim Alred had been promoting the value of compelling news video for his newspaper’s website and had been receiving lukewarm interest, until the recording of a local performance by a local woman American Idol finalist grabbed everyone’s attention.
	Charlotte Atkins Editor-in-Chief, Rome News-Tribune Rome, GA Charlotte Atkins made a decision during a week of sadness in her community to use her newspaper’s agenda-setting power to try to keep her community on an even keel.
	Otis Raybon, Jr. Publisher, Rome News-Tribune Rome, GA The power and purpose of journalism became evident to Otis Raybon, Jr., after he wrote a story about a missionary to Peru and saw what happened.
	Tom Clifford Director of Digital Media, The Post and Courier Charleston, SC Tom Clifford had often heard the classic complaint that newspapers “never print anything that’s good” about young people. When he decided to do just that: it paid off for him.
	William (Bill) Hawkins Publisher and Executive Editor, The Post and Courier Charleston, SC The power and purpose of journalism became evident to Bill Hawkins when he was reporting for his high school newspaper, and those lessons have been reiterated many times during his journalism career.

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