Fran Weller on a 40-year career, Rachel Keith on a missing $10 million study, Nada Merghani on advocacy and reporting

By Benjamin Schachtman

Published July 8, 2022 at 1:46 PM EDT

On this episode, WECT's Frances Weller reflects on her four decades in broadcast journalism — and looks ahead to what's next. Then, WHQR's own Rachel Keith on the story of a missing study, worth millions of dollars, that could hold key insights into the problem of school safety. And Nada Merghani, an advocate who has turned to journalism with recent work for WUNC, talks about navigating the new rules of reporting.

First up, WECT Anchor Frances Weller sits down with us to talk about her 40 years in journalism. Don’t worry, she’s not retiring, but she does have plenty of insight into our region — and what it’s been like to cover it, then, now, and going forward.

And, WHQR’s own Rachel Keith sits down with us to discuss her latest reporting — looking into a $10 million study on violence prevention in New Hanover County — that’s gone missing. It’s a mysterious tragedy, of what seems like wasted time, wasted money, and a wasted opportunity to learn about school safety.

Then, Nada Merghani —an activist turned journalist, who recently reported for our sister station WUNC, talks about navigating the lines between working for, and reporting on, important causes.

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