Laconia Daily Sun

The Granite Beat: Postcards from a changing world: Ann Hermes Chronicles Newsrooms in an Evolving Landscape

The Granite Beat: Postcards from a changing world: Ann Hermes Chronicles Newsrooms in an Evolving Landscape

On this week’s episode of The Granite Beat we welcome Ann Hermes, who worked for the Christian Science Monitor for 12 years before becoming an independent photographer. Ann produces images that look like postcards from a rapidly changing world, providing images from the Arab Spring, NYC ‘dining sheds’, and one of the few remaining drive-in theaters. Most recently, she has been working on a meta-project to chronicle local newsrooms – those that remain at least – around the United States.

The Granite Beat: Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee Shines a Light on New Hampshire's Stories: From Politics to Trans Healthcare

The Granite Beat: Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee Shines a Light on New Hampshire's Stories: From Politics to Trans Healthcare

On this week’s episode of The Granite Beat we spoke with Amanda Gokee, a reporter with The Boston Globe. When The Globe decided to open a New Hampshire bureau, Amanda’s local credibility and experience at the New Hampshire Bulletin was exactly what they needed to shine a light on what’s happening in the Granite State for local, regional, and national audiences. In her new role she has written about everything from politics to health, education to climate, and breaking news to trans healthcare.

The Granite Beat: Valley News Photojournalist Explores the Importance of Empathy in Photography

The Granite Beat: Valley News Photojournalist Explores the Importance of Empathy in Photography

A good photographer is someone who operates their equipment with technical skill, but a great photographer is one who balances that skill with empathy for the scene and people they are photographing. On this week’s episode of The Granite Beat, we speak with Valley News photojournalist Alex Driehaus, who has a portfolio of projects rich with empathy. She has spent time photographing people recovering from addiction in Ohio, marginalized young adults in San Francisco, and most recently, a former Special Forces soldier from Afghanistan now living as a refugee in New Hampshire's Upper Valley.

Journalist Bill Donahue's Unexpected Journey in Kenya: From Reporting on a Cycling Team to Predicting a Legendary Runner's Defeat

Journalist Bill Donahue's Unexpected Journey in Kenya: From Reporting on a Cycling Team to Predicting a Legendary Runner's Defeat

Journalist and author Bill Donahue's trip to Kenya to report on a cycling team and a legendary runner took an unexpected, and it turns out prescient, turn.  The Granite Beat’s  Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart recently interviewed Donahue where they talked about finding the hidden stories and how to be humble as a journalist working in another country.

The Granite Beat: Sports journalist Joshua Spaulding on chronicling promising young athletes in New Hampshire

The Granite Beat: Sports journalist Joshua Spaulding on chronicling promising young athletes in New Hampshire

On this episode of The Granite Beat, Julie and Adam talk with sports journalist Joshua Spaulding. He’s worked 20 years as a sports editor for the Salmon Press, which publishes weekly newspapers throughout central and northern New Hampshire, and currently directs and produces sports coverage for 11 newspapers. Over the years he has chronicled the stories of promising young athletes, some of whom have risen to professional or even Olympic competition. If you played high school sports in the Lakes Region or Northern New Hampshire within the past two decades, it's almost guaranteed that Josh has published your name at least once. 

Journalist behind Bear Brook true crime podcast talks about the importance of storytelling in journalism

Journalist behind Bear Brook true crime podcast talks about the importance of storytelling in journalism

On this week’s episode of The Granite Beat, Julie and Adam speak with Jason Moon, the journalist behind many intriguing long-form projects at NHPR, such as the Bear Brook true crime podcast that has been downloaded more than 17 million times.

The Granite Beat: Want to know, Need to Know and Everything in Between

The Granite Beat: Want to know, Need to Know and Everything in Between

On this episode of The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Judi Currie, a former staff writer for Business NH Magazine with a broad range of experience in New Hampshire. She has covered topics from across the spectrum for countless newspaper, radio, and television outlets.

The Granite Beat: News Got You Feeling Hopeless? Solutions Journalism May Help

The Granite Beat: News Got You Feeling Hopeless? Solutions Journalism May Help

On this episode of The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Leah Todd Lin, New England regional collaborative manager for the nonprofit Solutions Journalism Network, about solutions journalism – what it is, why it’s important, and how it can transcend news from depressing to hopeful for consumers and journalists alike.

The Granite Beat: Investing in the Future of NH Journalism

The Granite Beat: Investing in the Future of NH Journalism

On this episode of The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Matt Mowry, Executive Editor, and Christine Carignan, Chief Creative Officer, of Business New Hampshire Magazine. After many years with the magazine Matt and Christine became its owners last September. They joined us to talk about the transition and about investing in New Hampshire media in the modern day. 

The Granite Beat: Republican? Democrat? No. A Reporter.

The Granite Beat: Republican? Democrat? No.  A Reporter.

On this episode of The Granite Beat, hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with State House reporter Rick Green. Currently a reporter for The Keene Sentinel, Rick previously spent nearly 20 years with the Associated Press covering Oregon and Oklahoma before coming to New Hampshire where he worked for The Laconia Daily Sun and The Granite State News Collaborative.

The Granite Beat: Shedding Light on the Valley

The Granite Beat: Shedding Light on the Valley

On this episode of The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Daymond Steer, a general assignment reporter widely recognized and honored in New England, who covers the Mount Washington Valley for the Conway Daily Sun. His unique position allows him to shed light onto the happenings of various small towns in the Valley, telling stories – both critical and lighthearted – that would otherwise go untold. 

The Granite Beat: Connecting Community

The Granite Beat: Connecting Community

In this episode of The Granite Beat, hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Manchester Ink Link founder Carol Robidoux, a veteran journalist who left behind the legacy outlets to create her hyperlocal news website to supply residents with local, reliable, and community-driven stories in a central hub. They discuss some of her recent stories, such as the Harmony Montgomery case, the affordable housing crisis and community-centered reporting. 

The Granite Beat: For The Love of The Game

The Granite Beat:  For The Love of The Game

This week, The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart speak with Eric Rynston Lobel, an early-career journalist who already has an impressive breadth of experience. Since graduating from Northwestern he has written for Sports Illustrated as well as the Concord Monitor. They  discussed how he chooses his stories, sought his view on where the industry is heading, and heard what advice he would give an aspiring journalist. 

The Granite Beat: Through the Lens

The Granite Beat: Through the Lens

A picture is only worth a thousand words if the photographer did their job right. To do that, they need to see a scene as more than just a jumble of shadows and light. A good photojournalist knows they must try to accurately tell the story of a human being’s experience in that moment in time. Whether those experiences are triumphant or tragic, the photojournalist must capture the context and humanity with each quick click of a button in order to provide information that a written article alone may just not be able to on its own. It’s not easy and the camera is not a shield. The job can take a toll.

In this week’s episode, The Granite Beat’s hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart chat with seasoned photographer Gary Geoffroy, whose 40+ year career  includes 12 years of freelancing in photography and videography for news outlets, most recently in the Lakes Region. Drapcho and Hart discuss with him what it’s like covering breaking, often traumatic news from behind the lens, how it compares to his decades as a firefighter, and who’s best suited for this line of work.

The Granite Beat: We need to talk about This

The Granite Beat: We need to talk about This

As mass shootings and deaths by suicide involving firearms become a greater part of the public conversation, journalists find themselves tasked with reporting on these issues while also providing context. While these topics are never easy to cover, the uneasiness some people feel about discussing these issues with reporters, and thus publicly, not only make that harder, but can make it more difficult for a variety of points of view and experiences from becoming part of that public discussion.

In this week’s episode The Granite Beat hosts Adam Drapcho and Julie Hart spoke with Sheryl Rich-Kern, a writer, editor, producer, and journalism instructor at Southern NH University, about her extensive career in the industry. She shared insights into her recent piece Guns and suicide: A search for common ground to save lives in New Hampshire  and previewed what she’s working on next.

The Granite Beat: Tech, Local News and The Awesomeness of Culverts

The Granite Beat: Tech, Local News and The Awesomeness of Culverts

Our modern world advances at an ever-increasing pace and the news industry is not immune from the impacts. How do these shifts in technology and public sentiment change the media landscape? How can we keep up? We speak with David Brooks, the “Granite Geek” and columnist for the Concord Monitor, about the obstacles and opportunities of the union between tech media.

Reimagining Local News Funding Leads to a Different Kind of Journalism

Reimagining Local News Funding Leads to a Different Kind of Journalism

As financial pressures push news outlets to take a hard look at their payroll, alternative funding sources have come into play as a way to bolster reporting positions. At The Keene Sentinel, Olivia Belanger holds one of those positions. She leads the paper’s Health Lab, and she said the position doesn’t just add another position, it allows whoever holds that position to do a different kind of work.

The Granite Beat: Journalism Meets Lived Experience: A conversation with Anthony Payton

The Granite Beat: Journalism Meets Lived Experience: A conversation with Anthony Payton

Anthony Payton is a columnist and community activist whose work is informed by his experiences with the criminal justice system. He also writes about race relations, and how he finds that what people share in common often transcends their differences.

The Granite Beat: Why 'Old School' Cops and Courts Coverage Still Matters; Q&A with Michael Mortensen

The Granite Beat: Why 'Old School' Cops and Courts Coverage Still Matters; Q&A with Michael Mortensen

Michael Mortensen is a veteran journalist who has covered the Lakes Region for decades. He has filled just about every role possible within a newsroom. Most recently, he’s been the “courts and cops” reporter for The Laconia Daily Sun.