"Covering the insurrection at the Capitol was the most intense day of my career"
Samantha Granville
Samantha Granville is the West Coast producer for BBC News. As a field producer, she’s on the road covering breaking news and timely feature stories for television and radio for domestic and international BBC outlets. Sam most recently held foreign postings in Israel during the 2021 conflict with Hamas, and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to that she was on the road with the North America team for the 2020 U.S. election. She is a former program producer for the BBC’s two Washington, D.C.-based shows: “World News America” on PBS and “Beyond 100 Days.” She is a proud Georgetown University alumna- Hoya Saxa.
Why did you decide to pursue a journalism career?
News and politics have been a passion of mine from a very young age. I remember sitting with my grandparents watching the news and debating the big issues that anchors and analysts were discussing on television. As I got older, I realized my love – and perhaps skill – of poking and prodding people to tell me what they thought and why they thought it.
I grew up in a pretty homogenous town, and it wasn’t until I got to university that I started to meet students from diverse backgrounds with vastly different life experiences. It opened my eyes to how political, social, and cultural issues were perceived across the U.S. and abroad, and the implications of these policies in different communities. My interactions in the classroom and in my social life only made me more curious, and ask more questions.
I was lucky to have journalism professors, bosses, and mentors who helped channel that curiosity into impactful storytelling, and find my passion for television and radio production. And since then, I haven’t looked back!
Can you define what it takes to be a foreign correspondent in America?
Persistence, persistence, persistence! Being a foreign news outlet is difficult because the network does not have the same name familiarity as the big media outlets here in the States. So, developing sources and getting people to talk, especially politicians, is a massive challenge since a lot of our viewers are not voters. Being personable and relaying that the story has wider implications is incredibly important.
You also have to be across a lot of stories at the same time, and be able to jump into a breaking news situation and learn everything about it super quickly. For an international audience, it’s important to cut through the weeds, and take a thirty-thousand-foot view to explain why something happening in the United States should matter to someone living thousands and thousands of miles away.
How do you define success in journalism?
In the age of misinformation and hyperpolarization in the media, accuracy and verification is a given. What I strive for, is telling the story clearly, quickly, and in a compelling way. Most people are not watching or listening to the news for hours on end, and we really only have a few minutes to grab their attention and tell them what to know and why they need to care. Not everyone will relate to the banter on Capitol Hill, or a policy signing at the White House, but they will relate to how legislation will impact everyday life – the price of food, the impact of debt, difficulty getting healthcare treatment. It’s important to me and my colleagues to tell a story through the eyes of a person actually experiencing the story, rather than only talking about it in some abstract way.
Tell us about a story that taught you something valuable.
Covering the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th was, without a doubt, the most intense day of my career. My original assignment was to cover the “Stop the Steal Rally,” that many of former President Trump’s supporters were coming to D.C. to participate in. After talking to several supporters, it became evident that something was bubbling under the surface, and the rally was only the beginning of the story.
We all know how the rest of the day unfolded, but for me it was a stark reminder to not get sucked into the tunnel vision that we can all experience. Had my team only talked to a few people on the morning of January 6th, we could have gone back to the bureau and filed our story with a few soundbites from President Trump – a very standard way to cover a rally. As a journalist, you have to keep the big picture in mind and be flexible with where the story leads you.
As a journalist for an international media outlet in the United States such as the BBC, what are the most exciting aspects?
International media outlets are always going to have smaller operations than the national media organizations, but that means so many more opportunities and stories for us to cover. I love that one day I can be covering an event on Capitol Hill, and the next day could be a pop culture story. The job gets you on the road a ton, talking to interesting people, and seeing different parts of the country – so it’s certainly never repetitive or boring!
What do you think is the best way a foreign journalist can be successful as a correspondent in the U.S.?
Read everything, talk to everyone, and keep in touch with people! The United States is a big place, and two different states can feel like two different countries. Reading local news and speaking with involved community members is the best way to keep a pulse on the country. I also cannot overstate the importance of following up with contacts to see how your past stories change and evolve with current events. For me, that’s the best way to follow trends and really tell the national story of America.
