During an interview last week with Your News Edge, Al Tompkins, a Caldwell County native and renowned journalist with the Poynter Institute who got his start on WPKY at the ripe age of 15, shared some of his favorite and most challenging local stories he covered in his career as well as his thoughts on how the media has changed since he started in journalism.
Tompkins recounted that one story that he covered as a journalist that meant a lot to him was the injustice faced by the people of Grand Rivers who were displaced from their homes due to false promises that brought tremendous bitterness. As a journalist, he said one of the things he wanted to do was to tell the story about “how the government cheated these people out of their land in 1963” in order to build the “incredible facility” we have now at LBL.
click to download audioHe also investigated and exposed Rockwell International’s release of toxins into a large retaining pond behind the factory, which had contaminated the creek connected to the main water source for the city of Russellville for decades, leading to the largest civil settlement in Logan County’s history.
According to Tompkins, hate groups are some of the toughest stories he has covered in his journalism career. He said one local story that stands out is his coverage of the Night Riders when he and then Commonwealth’s Attorney Bill Cunningham conducted an on-camera interview with the last known survivor of the Night Riders.
click to download audioTompkins has observed a remarkable evolution in the media landscape since his career began roughly 50 years ago with an increase of women and African-Americans on air that was notably absent when he first started.
click to download audioHe also noted that today’s media is more professional.
click to download audioTompkins said he hopes everyone will support local media because it’s important to the community. He noted that he’s “never known a successful community that didn’t have a thriving media profile.”
Tompkins will retire on March 31 – sort of.
click to download audioAccording to Tompkins, he expects to do less teaching and more mentoring.
