Media in Minutes

Terri Dee: Radio Journalist for Public News Service

• Angela Tuell • Season 4 • Episode 17

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In today’s episode, Terri Dee shares how her early love of reading and consistent curiosity about the world around her fuels her career journey. 

Follow Terri’s life and work here: http://terridee.com/?page_id=17 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-dee-mba-876a7920 

 

Public News Service: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/producers.php?id=256 

Indiana News Now:  https://www.newsnow.com/us/US/States/Indiana 

All Things Considered: https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/ 

WFYI Indianapolis: https://www.wfyi.org/news/authors/terri-dee 

NPR Indianapolis: https://www.wfyi.org/ 

Plane crashed into Ramada near Indy Airport:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Q2pDrbfFk 

WTLC AM: https://praiseindy.com/?s=Terri+Dee 

WSIU: https://www.wsiu.org/people/terri-dee 

Terri Dee at Public News Service: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/results.php 

Joyce Foundation: https://www.joycefdn.org/ 

Illinois Criminal Justice Institute: https://icjia.illinois.gov/ 

Feed the Hungry: https://www.feedthehungry.org/ 

Annie E. Casey Foundation: https://www.aecf.org/ 

 

Thank you for listening!  Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to the Media in Minutes podcast here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-in-minutes/id1555710662  

Angela Tuell:

Welcome to Media in Minutes. This is your host, Angela Tuell. This podcast features in-depth interviews with those who report on the world around us. They share everything from their favorite stories to what happened behind the lens and give us a glimpse into their world. From our studio here at Communications Redefined, this is Media in Minutes. In today's episode, we are talking with Public News Services' Terri Dee. Terri is a news anchor, reporter and producer for Indiana News Now, a program of the Public News Service, a nonprofit news organization. Prior to this, Terri served as local newscaster for All Things Considered on WFYI Indianapolis' NPR Member Radio Station. She covers health and healthcare, public policy, economics, social inequalities, housing, education and the environment, also business and legal topics from all over the state of Indiana and Illinois. Hello, TerrI.

Terri Dee:

Hi. How are you?

Angela Tuell:

Doing well. I'm really looking forward to talking with you today. One of my first questions, actually, just to jump right in, is, did you always want to be a journalist?

Terri Dee:

Actually, I knew I wanted to be in a profession that permitted me to use words to communicate. I was always, even as a child, a very, very strong reader. I remember, and we're talking about 6, 7, 8 years old, every Saturday going to the library. I would pick out 10 books, take them home, have them read in one week back at the library on Saturday. It was a Saturday morning ritual every Saturday.

Angela Tuell:

Wow.

Terri Dee:

So I have always loved books. I've always loved the power of words and how they could influence and inform.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

And even as a child, my parents would read books to me before going to bed. You know, bedtime stories, so going to the library, hearing the bedtime stories were the foundation for me to do what I do today.

Angela Tuell:

I love that. So could you walk us through your career a little bit - how you started, and I know you spent the majority of it in radio, right?

Terri Dee:

Yes, yes. And people would tell me, I didn't see it at the time, but people would tell me, you have a really good voice. Have you ever thought about radio? And I would say, well, not really. My, my goal was to be an attorney, and we'll circle back to that later on.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

But I never thought I had the voice for radio, but people would tell me all the time. So I thought, Okay, since I like to write and I like to read, how about if I enter radio as a news reporter?

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

And my first day, and I'm about to date myself here.

Angela Tuell:

You don't have to give dates.

Terri Dee:

My very first day on the job? Well, I think people will be able to figure it out. My very first day on the job was when the airplane flew into the Ramada Inn at the airport.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

And back then, you didn't have internet. You didn't have all of the technology that we have today to gather stories.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

It was very hectic, and it was just a lot going on, but I learned at that point I had a responsibility to inform

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

To take the emotion out of it, because that was a and transfer information to people who wanted to know what was going on. that was a horrendous day,

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and just for those listening, because we have, it's a really a national audience. This is in Indianapolis, at the, near the, at the Ramata near the airport, correct?

Terri Dee:

Yes.

Angela Tuell:

Okay, yes. And where were you working at that time?

Terri Dee:

I was at the station, WTUX AM.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

And we had periodic news cut ins, so I had to give updates from time to time. What was going on. Were there injuries? Were there fatalities? How on earth did a plane fly into a hotel? What happened? And so again, because of the limitations of not having the technology that we have today, the information was very brief, not a great deal of information over a period of hours, and people were wanting to know what happened.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

And then, from there, one day, the sister station to WTUX, which is WTLC FM -

Angela Tuell:

Uh huh.

Terri Dee:

- had an opening for an overnight DJ.

Angela Tuell:

Oh, really?

Terri Dee:

And the program director at that time, yes, the program director at that time said, I'm looking for a female. I need an audition tape immediately. And that particular day, I've been doing news at WTUX for probably about a year, a couple of years. And that particular day, the program director wanted an audition tape. I had the worst head cold.

Angela Tuell:

Oh no.

Terri Dee:

And I thought, I'm going to blow it this. This is not going to be a good audition tape. And I went ahead and did it anyway. I said, you know, do the best you can. If they like it, they likeit. If they don't, they don't. And I ended up doing overnights, 10pm to 2am on WTLC FM as a DJ.

Angela Tuell:

Wow, were you still doing reporting at the same time? Or did you go from, you know, being a journalist to a DJ?

Terri Dee:

I went from being a journalist to a DJ.

Angela Tuell:

Okay. And how was that?

Terri Dee:

It was fun. It was fun. It I got I got to interview. So I still had some journalism responsibilities. I was able to interview just all types of people across the spectrum. So I still had those interviewing skills that I used, but I also got to play records that I'd like to hear.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

And it was, it was fun. And so over the course of my time working at WTC, I I was a D did some news from time to time, and then I decided to go back to college and finish up, and I got my bachelor's. And then I thought, Okay, I've been in this radio business for a while. I want to learn the business side of it.

Angela Tuell:

Mmm, uh hmmm.

Terri Dee:

Playing records is fun and interviewing people is fun. But I wanted to advance. I wanted to learn more, so I went to graduate school and got my MBA, because I I was able to learn how a business comes together. You have your marketing, your statistics, your finance, operations, business communications. So again, that whole journalism experience came back into play again, and I was able to use that. That helped a lot with business reporting stories I would cover.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

And I stayed in radio, and I ended up I had an opportunity to do a talk show that allowed me to return to asking questions. As a child, I drove my parents crazy. I was always asking questions.

Angela Tuell:

I was the same way.

Terri Dee:

Yes, it's like mommy, daddy. Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why are animals different colors? Why do people speak different languages?

Angela Tuell:

I'm getting payback with with, especially one of my kids now, with that too, and I don't know how to answer a lot of them. We look it up, though.

Terri Dee:

So my my parents were like, Okay, we we've got to do something with this inquisitive child of ours. So we always had two or three sets of encyclopedias around the house.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

We had a set for science, we had a set health, we had a set for geography, three or four dictionaries around the house. My parents were very, very firm about my brother and I getting an education. It wasn't-

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

- do you think you're going to college? It was, you're going to college. Where have you applied today?

Angela Tuell:

Right, right.

Terri Dee:

So that was the rule in the household. So fast forward back to after getting my my MBA at the talk show, which was, which was a lot of fun. I started thinking about how I can grow in this industry. A lot of times you can get pigeonholed. You get to a certain point and you're asking, What can I do now?

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yeah.

Terri Dee:

And so I decided to start reporting different types of stories, not just crime, not just education, but also help myself grow as a writer and report on different types of stories. I ended up at WFYI. They were looking for a newscaster for the afternoon program, All Things Considered.

Angela Tuell:

Yes.

Terri Dee:

And NPR is like the stellar of journalism.

Angela Tuell:

Yes.

Terri Dee:

And it, it challenged me to really put forth my best in reporting and listening. And it just fed, again, my curiosity of the world around me.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, yeah, and you, and you were there for for a while, and then made the move to Public News Service, a new nonprofit collaboration dedicated to providing freely accessible, quality, unbiased and original reporting. Hopefully, I'm saying all of that right.

Terri Dee:

Yes.

Angela Tuell:

Especially for marginalized and underserved communities. So for those who aren't very familiar, can you tell us more about Public news service?

Terri Dee:

Public news service. We have reporters in virtually every state of the country, and we report on stories that are state specific. I cover Indiana and Illinois.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

And I cover stories of environmental, nature, health, education and crime.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

And so we get to pick some of the stories that we get to write. Others I've written for the Joyce Foundation, Illinois Criminal Justice Institute, Feed the Hungry. I just did a story for Illinois for the Annie E Casey Foundation. And there are different reports that come out based on studies done by universities, scientists, different organizations. And as writers, we make that information more understandable to our audience.

Angela Tuell:

Right, okay.

Terri Dee:

And the stories are picked up through print, broadcast or web.

Angela Tuell:

Through how many outlets?

Terri Dee:

At last count, and I know it's gotta be more than this, at least 40 states and any- anyone in the country, they could if they decide to run our story in print they can. If they decide to run it during a radio show, they can. You know, they have the news inserts between songs or something at the top of the hour or bottom of the hour. They can run our newscast that way. Or if someone wants to post it to their website, they can do that as well.

Angela Tuell:

So do these media channels need to be members, or anyone can take, can any, you know, media outlet can take?

Terri Dee:

I believe, I believe anyone can.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

I believe so.

Angela Tuell:

That is great.

Terri Dee:

So that's more the administrative end.

Angela Tuell:

Sure you don't have to worry about that part, right?

Terri Dee:

Yeah, I'm just, I'm just the newscaster, the producer and the, and the reporter. I - that's the administrative end.

Angela Tuell:

Right? So how is your work at Public News Service different than what you were doing at WFYI, or is it?

Terri Dee:

It's not a huge difference. I just noticed with Public News Service, I ventured more into writing environmental stories. Science and math was just not my thing in school, it really wasn't. That's why I'm the English grammar girl.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

But it has allowed me the opportunities to write a lot about climate change. That's a huge thing now is writing about climate change.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

But with public News Service, again, my my reach of writing has widened now it is expanded. A lot of times I get to choose the stories I write. There's a story I'm working on today about the decrease in black cemeteries around the country.

Angela Tuell:

Decrease, you said like -

Terri Dee:

Decrease, yes. A lot of the cemeteries that slaves were were buried right are now being eyed by developers.

Angela Tuell:

What?

Terri Dee:

These cemeteries were not maintained properly. Dollars did not flow into their maintenance, so

Angela Tuell:

Right. they're kind of just haven't been kept up. And so developers are saying, well, the land is not valuable, not very valuable, from a development standpoint. So a lot of developers are just saying, You know what, this might be a good site to develop a mall or a parking lot or - Oh my goodness.

Terri Dee:

That type of thing, you know? And that's the thing, just different stories you don't hear every day. That's what I like, that's one thing like about being a journalist. We get to cover stories that you don't hear on the front page every day, or here in the news on TV or radio, but you don't read about a newspaper every day. That's what keeps my interest and intrigue. And what I do is I find off beaten things that you don't hear about all the time.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and the stories that people are fascinated to learn and that will hopefully make a difference, that people will take action because they're, you know, upset about what they hear, or it's or if it's a positive story, you know, either way. But I really do love that work, and that goes along the line of the trend of nonprofit news organizations. I know in Indianapolis alone, we have seen many over the past couple of years. Why do you feel we are seeing more and more of these?

Terri Dee:

I think it's a combination of factors. Newspapers, as you know, being a journalist, are becoming more and more extinct. It's costly to print out a newspaper or a magazine.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

These days, everything, again, is technology. So you have some areas of Indiana and I'm sure across the country, where people want and need their news, but they don't have that daily newspaper or that weekly newspaper. In some cases, people don't have that access to internet, as we found out during the pandemic. And all of the challenges and the struggles with that of people having internet for their kids, who were being schooled at home.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

So there, the need for these different news outlets is very strong. You've mentioned, it's just they've been popping up the last couple of years or so, I've heard positive feedback that news is reaching people who normally would not have access to it. So yeah, the concept, I believe, is working.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yes, something that worries me a little bit and hopefully, hopefully it's not, it's not legitimate that it should worry me, but a little bit of, how will these organizations sustain themselves as nonprofits? I mean, I guess, just as other nonprofits do. But do you feel there is sustainability there?

Terri Dee:

I do. I - My only concern is that the there's just not overkill with it. And I what I mean by that is that you you went from maybe having one or two to now you have five or six.

Angela Tuell:

Right, right.

Terri Dee:

So the concept is good, but I just hope it's not overkill.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, we see that in a lot of different things. I remember when I mean, these aren't the same type of examples, but you know, when you saw the frozen yogurt shops where you could go serve your own or breweries even, or things that you just, you know, get saturated, and then they don't all survive. But -

Terri Dee:

Yes, yes.

Angela Tuell:

Let's hope that's not the case.

Terri Dee:

Yes, I'm supportive of it if it serves the purpose that it was created for.

Angela Tuell:

Yes.

Terri Dee:

But if it doesn't, and people just feel like they're not getting the news they want and need. Then there needs to be some tinkering with the concept.

Angela Tuell:

Is there anything that keeps you up at night about the industry being a journalist, or things you work on?

Terri Dee:

Getting multiple stories in at one time. Because a lot of times I'm juggling three or four stories at a time.

Angela Tuell:

Wow.

Terri Dee:

And they all may be due on the same day.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

Sometimes it could be a challenge.

Angela Tuell:

Yes.

Terri Dee:

It can. So I have to manage my time properly. I have to make sure my research is accurate, so that I say would have to be the one thing that I have to constantly be mindful of is just meeting the deadlines, making sure my work is accurate, and being proud of what I've written.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

That would have to be Yeah. Now I think about that would have to be it. I can be my toughest critic.

Angela Tuell:

I'm sure.

Terri Dee:

I just want to make sure my work is one that I can be proud of and that maybe people will be informed about and be challenged to maybe make a change.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yes, I love that. And you do do amazing work. Is there a typical day? You know, what a typical day looks like, or is it always so different? Like you said, you know, you might be doing three stories one day and the next day you're working on one but most - is it most also, you know, over the phone and computer, and that are you traveling for stories?

Terri Dee:

It's mostly over the phone and computer. I can't say that two days are the same. Because to keep myself from being bored, I try and mix the different subjects of stories that I do. Mix them up so I'm not doing the same type of story every day. Yes, I cover climate change. Yes, I cover health, education. But again, I just try not to do the same stories every day. I might do education on Monday and Thursday. I might do climate change on Tuesday, Friday, just to keep myself interested in what I'm doing.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, yeah, that's always good to have. What are you most proud about in your career this far?

Terri Dee:

That's a good question. I i guess what comes to mind first is that I have been able to grow and find different ways to keep myself interested.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

Burnout is very real in journalism.

Angela Tuell:

Huge - yeah.

Terri Dee:

Particularly these last few years. Yes, where journalists have have kind of been raked through the coals and our credibility and legitimacy has been questioned.

Angela Tuell:

Yes.

Terri Dee:

It can be long days, it can be stressful days.

Angela Tuell:

It's not a wealthy job.

Terri Dee:

Journalism - it's not, it's not. There can be days where it can be painful.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

You see or talk to people who are really going through hard times.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

I've reported on stories about death where I've seen actual death in front of me that was a little tough. Yes, when I. I report on health stories and I'm seeing health issues where I'm seeing sickness and disease, that's a little unsettling for me.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

But I've managed to learn from it and say, Okay, next time, if you're covering a story like this, it won't impact you the same way.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

So I've been able to answer your question, just to be able to grow in this profession and to constantly challenge myself to learn new things.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, I think that's what something a lot of journalists have in common, just this, this need to constantly learn, you know, throughout, throughout life, and learn, yeah, learn something new every day. What are some of your most memorable stories?

Terri Dee:

Well, oh, my goodness, you're asking me to go back like decades,

Angela Tuell:

Forever, right? I'm older than the internet too, by the way just so we know.

Terri Dee:

Well, that's good to know. Okay, can I offer you my most memorable interviews?

Angela Tuell:

Yes, that works.

Terri Dee:

I've interviewed attorney Benjamin Crump.

Angela Tuell:

Oh, wow. Okay.

Terri Dee:

NBA legend, Julius, Dr J Irving, the late actor Louis Gossett, the first black Miss America. Vanessa Williams, singer songwriter, producer, Babyface. Here's an interview, and this is from years ago, but I will never forget this interview. For those of you who are Young and the Restless fans, Mrs. Chancellor.

Angela Tuell:

Oh, wow.

Terri Dee:

I believe her name was Jean Cooper, okay. She was such a delight. She is nothing like her character on Young and the Restless. Oh, goodness gracious. I've interviewed Indianapolis mayors, Bart Peterson, Greg Ballard. Governor, Frank O'Bannon. You're taking me back about 20, 30 years so it's, it's a lot to try and remember. I have and if anyone had told me in my teens and my 20s, I would be able to talk to such legends I would not have believed them.

Angela Tuell:

That's awesome.

Terri Dee:

You think about these, the stories that I cover and people that you get to interview or for the National Network, folks that you see on nightly news every night at 6pm but I have just had an incredible career being able to sit down and just talk to people, these celebrities as people, they're regular people like everybody else. They just happen to have the spotlight on them.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, that's what I was just going to say whenever I interviewed. You know celebrities as well. It's just that they're just like us, but, but not in a way there, you know, yes.

Terri Dee:

Now another highlight I was able to speak to the late 60 minutes correspondent, Ed Bradley. That was a highlight.

Angela Tuell:

Wow, yes. Now I better ask about - so so much of our audience are PR professionals, those in the public relations industry. How can we best help you do your job? I'm assuming you're inundated with emails, story ideas, but what is what is best for you?

Terri Dee:

The earlier a PR professional can get information to me the better. As I mentioned earlier, time management. So if I get a press release earlier than, say, three days before an event, the chance is better that I could cover it, because I know how much time I have. I know what deadline I'm meeting.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

I know what the event is, and I have time to determine is this something that works for the company I write for?

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

I get, sometimes I get press releases the day of an event.

Angela Tuell:

Wow.

Terri Dee:

And since I don't physically go out and cover it, I can they're like, again, the earlier I get it, I can pick up the phone and call and say or email and say, Hey, this is great. Can we set up a time for a phone interview?

Angela Tuell:

Right. That's great advice. What do you wish listeners knew about radio news or even journalism in general, that they likely don't?

Terri Dee:

We talked about it a little earlier, that journalists are people too.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

And we have to walk the line where we cannot get too personally involved in our stories. Yes, we have to have empathy, understanding and comprehension of what we're reporting on, but we also have to be objective and neutral as well.

Angela Tuell:

Right.

Terri Dee:

So there's that fine line you have to walk to be able to get the information, who, what, where, when, why and how, be able to report that in a manner that is understandable to an audience that wants to know what's going on, that wants to be informed.

Angela Tuell:

Yes. So before we go, I have to ask you, as if your full time job isn't enough, you are also in law school. So what are your plans for the future with that?

Terri Dee:

Yes, maybe a law school is a full time job in itself that ties back to that time management I've been talking about during the podcast here. I would like to get into legal affairs reporting.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

Covering some of the top legal cases that are going on in our country now. So many You're so right. You're so right. And the legal field can be complex for those who are not in it, and that's not to say you can't, you can't understand it, but you know, as a student in law school, I have to read cases sometimes two and three and four times over and over again, just to be able to understand what happened in a particular case.

Angela Tuell:

I bet.

Terri Dee:

So I can't even imagine, you know, an average person trying to understand what is happening in a legal case. So I like to look at myself, and I hope to be able to do this. I like to look at myself as kind of a middle person between legal cases and helping the average person understand what's happening. What does concur and dissent mean? What is facts? What is the issue? What is the ruling, what is the application? What does all that mean? What is difference between a felony and a misdemeanor? What is the terminology in a contract? What are your rights on your job? I had that at employment law, and again, it could be, it could be complex. So that's, that's my hope, is to be able to write and inform people about cases that happen, if they just generally want to know how the law works?

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, wow. That is so needed as well. So that's how much longer do you have left?

Terri Dee:

less then a year. My target date for graduation is May 2025.

Angela Tuell:

Awesome. That's great.

Terri Dee:

I'm excited. It's going by quick. It's going by really, really quick.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, well, that's good. That's a good thing. And if you have any at all, which I'm not sure you do, what do you enjoy to do in your free time?

Terri Dee:

If you can imagine this, I still like to read, as in, reading textbooks is not enough. I love, I love to travel.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

I like going to sporting events and pretty much anything that stimulates me intellectually, museums, plays, certain movies that you really have to pay attention to kind of follow the plot.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah.

Terri Dee:

Um, and shopping. How can I leave that off? I love going shopping.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, that's a great one. And your dogs, you mentioned earlier.

Terri Dee:

It is, really it is my my dogs. Yes, they're my buddies. I like taking them on walks and playing with them and and just looking at them and laughing at them. They're so funny. They really are funny.

Angela Tuell:

They make life they make life happy, right?

Terri Dee:

They do. They're good stress relievers, because sometimes, after studying or working and they they want to go walking, or they want to play, and I'm like, Okay, let's, let's go. And you know, it kind of helps ease that stress from the day. So they're, they're my buddies.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, awe. And how can our listeners connect with you online, Terri?

Terri Dee:

They can follow me on LinkedIn. I'll be honest with you, I'm not a huge social media fan.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Terri Dee:

I constantly, or I am on LinkedIn. I do respond on LinkedIn, and that's, that's pretty much it as far as social media. Oh, Instagram. I'm an Instagram girl too.

Angela Tuell:

Okay. Well, we will put those links in our show notes as well. Thank you so much for your time today, Terri.

Terri Dee:

Thank you for asking me to do this, you have really taken me down memory lane. And I'm going to be thinking about my goodness, how old are you? Is it time for you to retire yet? So I don't have any plans to retire yet, because I love what I do, but this is really taking me down memory lane. So I thank you so much for asking me to do this. This was fun.

Angela Tuell:

That's all for this episode of Media in Minutes, a podcast by Communications Redefined. Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to our show. We'd love to hear what you think. You can find more at CommunicationsRedefined.com/podcast. I'm your host, Angela Tuell. Talk to you next time.