Category: WHYY

Why I love the Philly accent and why it’s not going anywhere [NewsWorks essay]

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I could not sit idly by last week as University of Pennsylvania researchers announced findings that the Philadelphia accent may very well be fading.

So as a NewsWorks colleague set out to determine exactly what that meant, I took it upon myself to defend the oft-mocked accent, and explain why, no matter how the city changes, its residents will likely always say “wooder.”

The full essay is below, and you can read the original on NewsWorks. Continue reading Why I love the Philly accent and why it’s not going anywhere [NewsWorks essay]

Covering the 2012 election on live TV [NewsWorks]

That’s me on the right with WHYY-TV election night host Tracey Matisak.

Just because I’m a social media editor doesn’t mean I spend all day at a computer using Facebook or Twitter.

Actually, it does sort of mean that, but if you’re a journalist in 2012, you’ve got to be able to multitask and you really ought to develop skills across several platforms. That’s partly how I came to be on live TV Nov. 6 to cover the 2012 election. Continue reading Covering the 2012 election on live TV [NewsWorks]

How a work project uncovered my true family roots [NewsWorks]

Back in March, my boss at NewsWorks/WHYY came to me and offered what I then considered to be just a fun opportunity to spread my wings at work.

Months later, I’m still working on the project that’s basically changed the things about my life I’ve always accepted as truth.

Through a grant from WNET and the Henry Louis Gates “Finding Your Roots” initiative, I worked with DNA analysts and genealogical researches to confirm what I’d always been taught about my roots: I’m Native American, but not Irish. Turns out neither is likely true.

The full story is below. It originally ran on NewsWorks as a two-video package. Continue reading How a work project uncovered my true family roots [NewsWorks]