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.