The Real Truth with Tommy Spina

This week on The Real Truth, journalist Barnett Wright joins Tommy to discuss his career in journalism, his years covering Birmingham and Jefferson County, and the changing landscape of local news.

Wright, now managing editor of The Philadelphia Tribune, reflects on his time at The Birmingham News and The Birmingham Times, the challenges of covering local government, and the importance of reporting stories that might otherwise go untold. He and Tommy also discuss the shift from print to digital journalism, the growing role of artificial intelligence in newsrooms, the pressures facing the news industry, and why credibility, accuracy, and public support remain essential to a free press.

This week on The Real Truth, Darrell Nance of DeFlock Birmingham joins Tommy to discuss growing concerns surrounding Flock cameras and automated license plate readers in Birmingham.

Nance explains how the technology works and raises questions about privacy, data collection, access, and retention as the use of license plate readers expands. He and Tommy also discuss Birmingham’s relationship with Alabama Power, the balance between public safety and privacy, possible legislative safeguards, and why Nance believes the public should have a greater role in decisions about surveillance technology.

For more information about DeFlock Birmingham: https://deflockbhm.com

Former Alabama Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. returns to The Real Truth for an updated look at Alabama’s 2026 governor’s race.

Folsom joins Tommy to discuss how the race between Doug Jones and Tommy Tuberville has changed since his last appearance, the role national politics could play in Alabama, and what he’s watching as Election Day approaches. They also discuss data centers, Medicaid expansion and rural health care, campaign fundraising, and the issues that could influence voters in the final weeks of the race.

This week on The Real Truth, Alabama Educational Television Commission member Pete Conroy joins Tommy to discuss the continuing debate over the future of Alabama Public Television and its relationship with PBS.

Conroy offers an inside perspective on the commission and foundation’s recent decisions, including the approval of a new public opinion survey and his concerns about how the polling firm was selected, the survey’s methodology, and the process surrounding the vote. He also discusses the importance of PBS programming to Alabamians, APT’s role in telling the state’s stories, and what could happen when the commission meets again on September 29.

The next scheduled AETC and AETFA Board Meeting is Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM, Huntsville

To contact the APT Board of Directors: https://aptv.org/about/board-of-directors/

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin returns to The Real Truth for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of the city and some of the issues generating discussion across Birmingham.

Woodfin joins Tommy to discuss the city’s significant decline in homicides, investments in violence prevention, and the use of technology in public safety. He also addresses concerns surrounding Flock license plate reader cameras, privacy and accountability, and explains Birmingham’s approach to regulating data centers. Woodfin also looks at the city’s progress so far in 2026 and where he believes Birmingham still has work to do.

This week on The Real Truth, Birmingham attorney Barry Ragsdale returns to discuss his legal challenge to Tommy Tuberville’s eligibility to serve as governor of Alabama.

Ragsdale updates Tommy on the case now before the Alabama Supreme Court and explains the jurisdictional question at the center of the appeal. He also discusses Alabama’s seven-year residency requirement for governor, the evidence cited in his challenge, what could happen if the case is sent back to circuit court, and whether the issue can be resolved before Election Day. They also examine what options may remain for voters and the courts as November approaches.

Former U.S. Senator and Democratic candidate for governor of Alabama Doug Jones returns to The Real Truth for a wide-ranging conversation about the issues shaping Alabama’s 2026 governor’s race.

Jones joins Tommy to discuss the growing debate over data centers in Alabama, his call for a temporary moratorium on new projects, and his approach to the state’s troubled prison system. They also discuss SNAP benefits and Social Security, the future of Alabama Public Television and PBS, recent polling in the governor’s race, and how Jones plans to make his case to voters in the final months before Election Day.

This week on The Real Truth, Democratic nominee for Alabama Attorney General Jeff McLaughlin joins Tommy to discuss his campaign and his vision for the Attorney General’s Office.

McLaughlin talks about his effort to put consumer protection and the rule of law at the center of the office, his approach to campaign fundraising and his concerns about the influence of special interests in Montgomery. He also weighs in on Alabama’s prison crisis, criminal justice and mental health reform, the growth of data centers across the state and the role the Attorney General can play in representing Alabama consumers.

This week on The Real Truth, longtime political analyst and former Birmingham-Southern College professor Natalie Davis joins Tommy to examine Alabama’s 2026 governor’s race.

Drawing on decades of experience studying public opinion and Alabama politics, Davis discusses how polling and the state’s electorate have changed, what recent polling may and may not tell us about the race between Doug Jones and Tommy Tuberville, and the issues that could ultimately shape the outcome in November. She also breaks down the voters Jones would need to reach to overcome Alabama’s Republican advantage and what it would take to build a winning coalition.

This week on The Real Truth, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist John Archibald joins Tommy for a closer look at the controversy surrounding Alabama Public Television and its future relationship with PBS.

Archibald recounts what he witnessed firsthand at a meeting of the Alabama Educational Television Commission and shares his concerns about how the commission is operating. He and Tommy discuss the selection of a firm to survey public opinion, questions surrounding the commission's decision-making process, the potential consequences of ending APT's longtime affiliation with PBS, and what Alabamians can do ahead of the commission's next meeting.

The next AETC meeting is September 29th, 2026 at 10am in Huntsville at the Space and Rocket Center.