Welcome to A Face For Radio
It's a newsletter with a veritable cornucopia of content – part political reporter’s notebook, part musings on millennial fatherhood and part *gestures broadly* thoughts about things!
I’m joining the club of people asking to join your inbox!
As I write this, I’m enjoying a few minutes of down time after putting our ~2 month old to bed at my in-laws’ house while catching up my reading on 2024 presidential candidate fundraising, the latest Georgia political news and memes about a sea otter stealing surfboards in California.
I’m off on parental leave from my job as a political reporter for Georgia’s statewide NPR affiliate for a total of 12 weeks until early August, but/and while I have a few functioning brain cells (and while certain social media sites seem to be in flux) I’m launching this newsletter ahead of my return.
Why?
-Because I can!
-Because I have a rather sizable audience on Twitter I’d like to not lose completely because of the whims of a site owner, and because social media can be hit or miss with what people see and engage with
-Because I want to have more meaningful engagement and interactions surrounding the work I do and the thoughts that I have on serious (and non-serious) topics
-As far as the journalism aspect is concerned, I believe the industry needs to be much, much better at explaining how stories are reported, why certain context is/is not included, how much effort goes into getting a story right and making the ideas and intentions more accessible to everyday people
-As far as the personal aspect is concerned, I believe there needs to be more honest and robust discussion about how American society treats the intersection (or lack thereof) of working and parenting, and the realities parents face, as I face them in real time
Also, when I return from leave a grand jury in Atlanta is expected to issue indictments stemming from an investigation into efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. It’s a storyline that goes back nearly five years and all of the parts, pieces and timelines are more complicated than fit in 180-character posts and handfuls of images — or even the countless 15-20 minute podcast episodes I’ve done chronicling the issues.
What to expect
-Posts about the Fulton County grand jury investigation, the 2024 presidential campaign, redistricting, voting rights, lawsuits and the general never-ending Georgia politics news cycle
-Posts that will alert you to stories I publish, any podcast episodes that may come out, media appearances on NPR, PBS Newshour, CNN, etc. with additional context about what was discussed and why I was asked to discuss it
-Posts with behind the scenes info about reporting, whether it’s how I approach researching and writing a story to the unique requirements of gathering sound for radio to answering questions/offering insight into what’s usually insider-y discussions
-Posts about fatherhood, being a millennial, being a millennial father, posts about posting, etc.
-Posts about the day-to-day life as a political reporter, from road trip restaurant stops to gabbing about gear and keeping track of a neverending firehose of news
-Plenty of GIFs
Why the name?
Why the name?
When I first applied to my current employer as a fresh college graduate, I made the joke that I would be a good fit because I had been told I had a face for radio. It’s indicative of my humor (my dad jokes can now legally just called ‘jokes’ since I have a baby!) and maybe at a meta level some commentary about the mediums that drive discussion of news and politics nowadays. Also, all the good names were taken!
So if you want to be updated on my latest stories and media appearances, learn more about the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind covering some of the country’s biggest political storylines and want to hear unsolicited thoughts on everything from good bourbon and breakfast spots to terrible puns and parenting explorations, come along for the journey!
Also, you can read/listen to my stories on Georgia Public Broadcasting and NPR and subscribe to my podcast “Battleground: Ballot Box” that looks at the ongoing fight over who we vote for and how those votes are counted.
And follow me/connect with me on:
Twitter
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Facebook
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Bluesky