Night of storytelling to celebrate 125 years of The Republic
On May 18, you’re invited to celebrate the 125th anniversary of The Arizona Republic with a night of “Stories About Stories,” as Republic and azcentral.com staffers share tales from lives lived in the newsroom and on the beat.
As journalists, it is our privilege to reflect and serve the Valley every day, and on this night at the Phoenix Theatre, we’ll come together to celebrate 125 years of telling some of this community’s most important stories.
There will be a cash bar. Proceeds will be used to support The Republic’s journalism training and education programs.
This is a look at two of the night’s storytellers.
Dianna Náñez is a reporter who writes about stories in Arizona and the rest of the world that make us believe in humanity, faith, hope and love. She used to cover government. She will tell a story about a turning point she had on the job recently.
What’s the public’s biggest misconception about what you do?
Náñez: When I covered government, officials often thought I asked questions that I wanted answers to. I explained that the questions I asked were in the public’s interest. Some questions even came directly from people they were elected to represent, people who expected journalists to hold those in authority accountable and to disclose information that people in power may prefer remained silenced.
Do you have any reporting superstitions?
Náñez: This is maybe more of a habit than a superstition. I try to imagine myself as the person I’m interviewing. I feel like if I can consider the world through their eyes, it will help me better understand their perspective, question their perceptions and recognize my own assumptions.
Dennis Wagner is a reporter who writes investigative stories, most recently focusing on the Phoenix VA hospital. He will tell a story about covering the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles in 1992.
What’s the public’s biggest misconception about what you do?
Wagner: Some people think investigative reporting involves a lot of danger and adrenaline, just like folks think cops regularly get into shootouts. It’s an ironic twist — the media distorts public impressions of the media. Truth is, journalists spend most of their time poring over reports and records, attending
awful meetings and staring into computer screens. But, every once in a while, we cover something really exciting — a war, natural disaster, horrendous crime or other event. When that happens, we write the hell out of it. And, years later, we tell about our most exciting adventure, perpetuating the adrenaline myth.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Wagner: I love working with reporting teams on major, breaking news. There’s just a sense of camaraderie and common purpose. The stories themselves are often terrible tragedies: Covering Jared Loughner’s murder spree or the Yarnell Hill Fire ain’t exactly fun. But those events present a huge challenge to inform the public about something urgent and important.