August 21, 2025 • 26 mins
The power of storytelling lies not just in whose stories are told, but in who gets to tell them. For Adria Walker, a seventh-generation Mississippian and race and equity journalist for The Guardian, this understanding forms the foundation of her approach to reporting on Indigenous communities across the Deep South.
Walker's journey began with an unlikely childhood inspiration—the classic film "His Girl Friday" sparked her passion for journalism at just five years old. That early fascination evolved into a career defined by amplifying overlooked voices, particularly from her home state that's often misunderstood by outsiders. "Mississippi is the butt of everyone's jokes," Walker notes. "People have this idea of a state they've never visited, idea of people they've never seen." This experience of being prejudged has profoundly shaped her reporting philosophy: approaching every interview without preconceptions, letting subjects guide conversations, and seeking to understand communities on their own terms.
After starting as a teenage intern at a local alt-weekly, Walker's path took her through sociology studies, freelancing and reporting in upstate New York before returning to Mississippi to cover Gullah Geechee communities and other Indigenous groups for The Guardian. Her reporting methodology emphasizes genuine human connection—striking up conversations at gas stations, attending community events even when not reporting and building relationships that extend beyond single stories. This approach has yielded rich dividends, with stories naturally "snowballing" as community members recognize her commitment and share more leads.
Walker balances reporting on difficult subjects by prioritizing self-care and seeking stories that highlight joy alongside challenges. "If you're burning yourself out, you're not helping the communities you're reporting on," she explains. Her advice to aspiring journalists, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, focuses on both mastering fundamentals and showing up consistently: "You have to learn the basics, but you also have to show up for people."
Discover how authentic, community-centered journalism can challenge stereotypes and elevate voices that deserve to be heard. Follow Adria's work at The Guardian or connect with her on social media @adriawalker to see how she's reshaping narratives about the Deep South.
Check out Adria's recent articles here: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/adria-r-walker
Indigenous tattoo revitalization
Clarksdale, Miss grocery store
Gullah Geechee partnership with Lowcountry food bank story
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
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Angela Tuell (00:05):
Welcome to Media in Minutes.
This is your host, Angela Tuell.
This podcast features in-depthinterviews with those who report
on the world around us.
They share everything fromtheir favorite stories to what
happened behind the lens andgive us a glimpse into their
world From our studio here atCommunications Redefined.
This is Media in Minutes.
(00:29):
Today, we're talking with raceand equity journalist Adria
Walker.
Based in Mississippi, adriacovers indigenous communities of
the Deep South for the Guardian.
A Mississippi native, she hasbuilt a career telling nuanced,
human-centered stories aboutunderrepresented communities.
Before joining the Guardian,adria reported for the Democrat
and Chronicle in New York andMississippi Today, covering
(00:50):
everything from maternal healthdisparities to the 2020 protest
and criminal justice reform.
Adria's storytelling blendsdeep reporting with cultural
context, often amplifyingoverlooked voices across the
Deep South.
She's passionate about holdingpower to account, elevating joy
within Indigenous communitiesand reporting stories that
challenge perceptions.
(01:11):
Hello Adria, how are you today?
I'm well.
How are you Doing?
Well?
I'm looking forward to ourconversation.
I must say we'll start at.
You're a proud Mississippinative and currently based there
.
How did growing up there shapeyour voice and values as a
journalist?
Adria Walker (01:29):
Yeah, absolutely so.
Like you said, I am a veryproud Mississippi native,
seventh generation.
Every family is very proud tobe from Mississippi, but you
know the national level we arereally underdogs.
Mississippi is the butt ofeveryone's strokes.
People have this idea of a statethat they've never visited,
(01:51):
idea of people they've neverseen or interacted with, and I
think it definitely shapes myreporting and my voice in that I
approach every subject, everycommunity, knowing what it's
like to be the person thatnobody bothered talking to
before making a decision about.
And so I try to make a point,to go into every interview, like
(02:13):
I, even if I've done which Itypically do prep for the
interview, I try to just go in,you know, letting the person
guide the interview, letting theperson tell me their story,
because I don't want to eversomeone feel like I've felt
before as a Mississippiantraveling outside of the state.
I always want to make sure thatpeople know, you know I'm here
to see exactly what you have tosay, see your community for what
(02:35):
it is and not for what I mightthink it is.
Yes, and of course, we have avery strong, you know,
journalistic history inMississippi.
Ida B Wells has been aninspiration of mine.
Since I was a little girl, I'vealways thought it was very cool
that she's from the state, so Ithink that, you know, just
(02:56):
looking up to people like thathas been very important for me
as a Mississippian as well.
Angela Tuell (03:01):
Yeah, so did you always know, then that you
wanted to pursue journalism?
Adria Walker (03:05):
Yeah, absolutely so.
It's kind of ridiculous, butone of my favorite movies I kid
you not as a five-year-old wasHis Girl Friday.
I'm not even sure I joke withmy mom all the time, why was I
watching that at five, but itwas one of my favorite movies
and it really did get meinterested in journalism.
(03:26):
I think what I love about it is, you know, kind of what we were
just talking about.
I could see from the film howimportant journalism was.
You know, you had reporters who, unfortunately, were apathetic,
who were willing to let I don'twant to say any spoilers, but
they were willing to letsomething happen.
That would have been very dire.
But then you also had reporterswho were like, hey, actually we
(03:46):
can't let this happen.
We have all the facts here.
Something's not adding up.
And so they went and did theirjobs, they reported on the story
and again, I'm not going to sayany spoilers, but I will say
something nice happened at theend.
It was always a hugeinspiration for me as a kid,
something nice happened at theend.
Angela Tuell (04:05):
It was always a huge inspiration for me as a kid
, yeah, and I think for those ofus who always wanted to be a
journalist, it's reallydisheartening and upsetting
currently that there's a lot ofnegativity towards journalists.
Adria Walker (04:19):
How do you deal with that?
Yeah, it's been reallyinteresting to navigate.
You know it's been reallyinteresting to navigate.
So I started interning at alocal Alt Weekly gosh was that
14 years ago now?
And it's really interesting tosee the change in how people
respond to my saying I'm ajournalist over time.
When I first started out,people were always like, oh,
(04:40):
that's so cool, you know, tellme more about it.
And now I get like, why do youguys lie?
And I'm like whoa, whoa, whoa.
So it has been reallyinteresting to try to navigate
the changing way in which peopleview media and view journalism.
But I always try to use it as ateaching moment.
(05:01):
I think that a lot of peoplehave ideas about, similarly to
Mississippi.
A lot of people have ideasabout journalism, but they don't
fully understand whatjournalism is.
I've talked to so many peoplewho say, well, I saw on the
internet and I'll say, well, youknow what was the source?
And they will just have seen anInstagram post with like huge
text and that's the source forthem.
(05:22):
And so I try to try to take itfrom that angle.
Um, and it does kind of.
Sometime, you know, it can bequite disheartening, but I have
had a lot of success in sayingyou know you should find
journalists who you trust andthat's how you build your media
literacy, that's how you respectthe profession, that's how you
understand the importance of theprofession.
Um, because I you know, we'refighting a very hard battle
(05:45):
right now to get people tounderstand that reporters aren't
the people who are making theseposts with huge texts that say
something that doesn't reallymake sense.
Angela Tuell (05:54):
Yes, yes, it's so frustrating to me when people I
know or you know have run into,say they get their news from
social media only, and socialmedia is just a person, not a
journalist what they'rereferring to.
You know, like you said, a postlike that, and that's how they
get their news and that's howthey afford to journalism.
So, yes, we're all trying toeducate every day.
(06:15):
Definitely, can you walk usthrough your career path and how
you got to the Guardian?
Adria Walker (06:21):
Yeah for sure.
So, like I said, I started at alocal alt weekly, the Jackson
Free Press, about 14 years ago.
As I said before, I alwayswanted to be a journalist, so it
just kind of made sense that Ibegan my internship there and I
stayed there for several years.
I was an intern for, I believe,two years.
I actually started when I was14.
(06:43):
So once I was legally oldenough to work, I became the
editorial assistant, which waspretty cool, and I have always
had a passion also for workingwith younger journalists, even
when I myself was one.
So I worked with a lot of people, with, you know, people from
(07:04):
middle schools or high schools,in a youth media project we
planned and created.
And so, yeah, at the JFP I dida lot of that type of work.
I worked with interns, I workedwith freelancers and I really,
you know, was able to hone myskills there there.
Afterwards I went to collegeand I worked on my college's
(07:28):
publication and continued justlike interacting with different
people.
I actually didn't major injournalism, I majored in
sociology and anthropology.
I just thought it would be aninteresting way to hone
different skills and I really docredit that with my research
and interviewing skills andafterwards I was a freelancer
for a couple of years.
I joined a report for Americain 2020 and moved to upstate New
(07:54):
York.
Angela Tuell (07:55):
Oh wow, that's quite different from where you
are.
Yeah, it's a huge change fromMississippi.
Adria Walker (08:01):
I saw like real snow for the first time, which
was crazy.
But yeah, I lived there forseveral years, reported there
for several years.
I was with the Democrat andChronicle initially, and then I
accepted the job with the USAToday Network of New York.
Okay, and so I stayed there forseveral years before returning
(08:23):
to Mississippi and starting myjob at the Guardian.
Angela Tuell (08:27):
Wow, that's great .
That's quite a quick move up, Iwould say as well, and you've
covered everything fromcommunity activism to maternal
health, to criminal justice andsmall town politics, as you've
mentioned.
What led you to what you focuson at the Guardian now, and tell
us more about that focus,please?
Adria Walker (08:47):
Yeah, so I am one of the race and equity reporters
at the Guardian with a specificfocus on Gullah Geechee
communities and that kind of isborn out of an initiative that
the Guardian specifically has,but it's also just been an
interest of mine for years.
I think like many millennial orGen Z adults, I grew up
watching Gullah Gullah Islandand of course it's not an
(09:10):
anthropological or documentarystyle show or anything.
It was for preschoolers, but itwas my introduction to the
Gullah Geechee community andthen as an adult I would just
read more about the communityand I just thought it was very
interesting and one of thosecommunities that we owe a lot
culturally to, but you don't seeas much reporting on the people
(09:31):
who exist today, and so,because the Guardian did already
have that interest, it justfelt quite serendipitous.
The Guardian was alsointerested in expanding coverage
of the Deep South.
As I've said, proudMississippian, I mean, I do have
Louisiana roots and I'm proudof those as well.
So the ability to report on theregion that I am so passionate
(09:52):
about was just something that Icouldn't pass up.
And, yeah, I'm grateful to beable to tell these stories, to
be able to, for instance, I'vedone a lot of reporting lately
in the Mississippi Delta and I'mgrateful to be able to do that.
These are stories that you knowmight seem very local, but do
often have a national impact.
And even when they don't, Ithink it's important for people
(10:14):
in other places to know what'shappening across the country.
So, yeah, I'm very grateful forthe reporting I'm able to do.
Angela Tuell (10:23):
What are some of your recent most memorable
stories?
Adria Walker (10:26):
Oh, my gosh, there's so many.
So, like I said, I've beenrecently reporting a lot from
the Mississippi Delta and Istarted that last year.
I wrote about an art exhibit offarmers in the Delta and from
that exhibit I was invited towrite about a corner store which
is essentially a type ofgrocery store that was opening
(10:49):
in Clarksdale, mississippi, andfrom there I was invited to
write about the sinners sorry,the sinners screening in
Clarksdale.
So I just really love how thesestories kind of snowball yeah,
and you know I started havingpeople like by the time that I
reported about the grocery storeI started having people say, oh
, weren't you the girl who youknow wrote about this?
(11:11):
And I think that that's justsomething that's so important.
Building those communityconnections even if you're not
like I don't live in the Delta,I'm not physically there all the
time, but through reporting,through just interacting with
people, through letting sourcesknow, you know you can call and
just tell me about something Imight not write about but I do
value you as a person and notjust a source is super important
(11:33):
.
I've also been fortunate enoughto start expanding coverage of
Indigenous communities.
So I wrote recently about agroup called Nchunwa which is
working to revitalizeSoutheastern traditional tattoos
.
Yeah, that one was pretty cool.
And that's another story thatwas just kind of born out of
doing reporting and connectingwith folks and interacting with
(11:54):
people and letting them knowlike, hey, if you have an idea,
feel free to reach out and youknow I'll do my best to see if I
can write about it.
Angela Tuell (12:03):
Yes, that's fantastic.
What other ways do you try tofind stories, these stories?
Adria Walker (12:08):
Yeah, it's really all over, I mean.
So I do travel quite a bit forwork and I try to do my best to
just like talk to people.
Um, like I'll, if I'm pumpinggas, I'll just talk to the
person in the gas station, like,what's going on in your city,
what's happening here?
Um, I'm driving through, tellme something weird about your
(12:30):
city.
And one thing that I've reallyfound is that people just want
to talk, they want to interact.
I think that, you know,especially as we live in such a
digital world, such a fragmentedworld, people don't get those
face-to-face connections asoften.
Going on has really benefitedme and I think from there, you
know, people see that it isgenuine and once they do start
(13:02):
reading the stories, they'remore excited to, you know, reach
out to me and say, hey, youknow, I know you told me that
you would be interested inwriting about something, what
about this?
And so, yeah, that's been verybeneficial.
Angela Tuell (13:11):
Yes, I know that journalism around race and
equity can be emotionally heavy.
What helps you stay grounded,you know, or take care of your
mental health when you'reworking on some of the stories
that might be more negative?
Adria Walker (13:33):
And that's something that you know.
You just learn over time.
There was a period before Istarted at the Guardian that I
was working on just so many justtaxing and draining stories.
When I lived in upstate NewYork, I covered the shooting in
Buffalo and I spent just monthsjust reporting.
I mean, I'm grateful for thatreporting, but it was just like
incredibly draining, yes, andfrom that I essentially had to
(13:58):
force myself not to do that.
I had to force myself.
You know, if you're going towrite a story about something
horrific, you have to writesomething that's hopeful.
Um, and even just outside ofthat, I'm a certified yoga
teacher.
But while I was doing a lot ofthat reporting, I stopped my own
practice, um, just out ofstress, and so I had to force
(14:18):
myself to start practicing again.
I had to force myself.
I like to hike.
I had to force myself to starthiking again.
You know, just finding theselittle things to disconnect
completely from reporting on isso important and I think that
honestly just goes for like anyindustry.
I think that once you get tothe point where you're just
taking it home and it's all youcan think about, you're not
(14:39):
helping yourself and you're nothelping you know the communities
in which you're reporting, ifyou're burning yourself out, if
you're draining yourself.
So I see it as my self takingcare of myself, but also taking
care of the people I write about, just so I can show up as best
as I can.
Angela Tuell (14:56):
Yes, that's such great advice.
What other advice would yougive to young journalists you
know, especially those fromunderrepresented communities who
are hoping to tell stories thatmatter?
Adria Walker (15:06):
Yeah, I mean, I just think it's so important and
this really just goes to alljournalists but it's so
important to just do the work.
You know you have to learn thebasics but you also have to show
up for people and with people.
Like I said, just my attendingevents that I might not be
writing about, but just makingsure that people see me in the
community has been so helpfuland also just affirming for
(15:28):
people that their stories areinteresting, their stories do
matter, has been reallyimportant and that's something
that I think, even when I wasjust starting out, I tried to,
you know, take into the fieldwith me, even before I was could
drive while I was reporting.
I would just show up and justbe like ridiculously curious
about the people around me.
(15:50):
And, of course, learning thebasics.
That's something that when I amworking with younger
journalists, I do just try tohone in.
You know, it doesn't matter howgood you are at asking
questions If you can't write thestory.
You have to know those basics.
And learning them, you know,for some people might be tedious
, but if you do have acommitment to these communities,
if you do have a commitment toyour readers, then you want to
(16:12):
give them a good product.
So I do always hone that in aswell.
You have to learn the basics,but then you also have to show
up for people.
Angela Tuell (16:19):
Yes, absolutely.
I know that many of us knowwhat the Guardian is and you
know a little bit about it.
What would you say for thosewho are not super familiar with
the outlet?
Adria Walker (16:30):
Yeah, so the Guardian is an international
publication.
I work specifically for theGuardian US, but we are like
kind of under the banner of thebig Guardian, which is based out
of the UK.
There's also Guardian Australiaand Guardian Europe, and so we
do have a global mindset, but wealso are very local in a lot of
(16:51):
the stories that we do, which Ijust think is a really
interesting um combination.
Yes, it's led to some funnycopy things.
Sometimes I'll get emails fromreaders, um, and they'll say
something about like aneditorial decision in the copy
and I'll have to say, yeah,that's the style in the UK.
Um, yes, but I do think it's.
(17:12):
I do think it's interesting evenfrom that, just learning about,
you know not, I am a bit of ajournalism nerd, so it's really
cool to see, just like acrossthe world, how different copy
things exist.
So yeah, that's my the storiesthere.
Many of our listeners are inpublic relations.
Angela Tuell (17:36):
So I have to ask you what makes a pitch stand out
to you when you're decidingwhat to pursue or cover?
Do you get pitches?
Very often from publicists.
Adria Walker (17:44):
Yeah, absolutely I do, and I think one of the main
things is just being able totell that they're familiar with
my work.
Yeah, it gets frustratingsometimes to get pitches that
don't really make sense for meto cover.
So I think that just being ableto tell that the person who's
reaching out knows okay, she'swritten about this before she
(18:05):
might be interested in this isvery important to me.
And also just having a pitchthat's clear I've gotten a few
pitches that didn't really makesense to me and also just having
a pitch that's clear.
I've gotten a few pitches thatdidn't really make sense to me.
And I do often try to follow up, especially when I have time or
a lull in stories.
I'll try to follow up and justkind of try to help people ask a
better question.
I don't always have that timeand I do sometimes feel guilty
(18:29):
about it.
But you know, I think we canbridge the gap there by being
familiar with the reporters orpitching.
I do also try to forwardpitches to other people when I
know that I wouldn't write aboutit, but it's something that I
think a colleague might beinterested in.
Angela Tuell (18:42):
That is so great.
I know it's really hard whenyou're very busy to follow all
of them.
How many stories a week do youwrite?
Adria Walker (18:49):
Oh, it really varies, gosh.
I'd say probably between threeto seven.
But I typically have quickerstories.
I have, you know, short-termstories, I have the longer-term
stories.
So it really is a mixed bag.
I always find that question abit difficult to answer.
I don't know if I should countthe back burner stories.
(19:12):
I don't know if I should countthe dailies.
I don't know if I should countthe dailies, and of course every
week does look different.
I'll have some weeks wherethere's just essentially a story
coming out every day, and thenI'll have some weeks where maybe
just a couple of stories comeout.
So it really does?
Angela Tuell (19:28):
This is probably a difficult question and a very
broad one, but I must askbecause of your expertise, you
know where do you feel there aregaps in media coverage in
general that you wish morejournalists or communicators you
know would pay attention towhen it comes to race policy,
community stories?
Adria Walker (19:52):
Yeah, I think that , and this is kind of something
I've hinted at, but I think thatit's really just not listening
to people.
Sometimes I'll frustrate myself, even with re-listening to an
interview and say, oh, whydidn't you ask about X, y, z?
And I think I do see that ingeneral in coverage.
There's often like a danglingidea that someone you're
interviewing will give you, andI don't think we do a great job
of always following back up onthose.
(20:12):
It's certainly something that Iwant to improve in my reporting
and I think it's just like alifelong reporting goal for
everybody to be the bestreporter they can.
But that's so important, youknow, not leaving stones
unturned just because we'reoften interacting with people
with whom you might be the firstjournalist they've ever spoken.
(20:35):
They might not have ever seenany stories written about their
communities or if they have,they might be stories that
aren't really representative oftheir communities, and so it's
really important to understand,like all of that going into the
interview, and so I try to askfollow-up questions that if,
even if they don't really answerwhat I'm asking the first time,
(20:56):
just continue asking follow-upquestions and not in a way that
can, you know, be overwhelmingto somebody who's never been
interviewed before, but just toreally get the you know
understanding I'm looking for.
But yeah, like I said before,it's just really important to
show up and do the work.
I mean, like I said, we'rereporting on communities who
might not have ever had ajournalist show up for them
(21:18):
before, and so they might notknow what to ask, they might not
know what to say, and so wejust have to kind of be that
introductory person for them,you know, outside of that
reporting world where you'reworking can help support and I
guess just help support thistype of journalism.
(21:41):
Yeah, I mean, I think for mepersonally, I really appreciate
when people reach out and say,hey, I read XYZ, I learned this,
or something like that.
It just really helps me to knowthat the reporting I'm doing is
useful for people.
They're learning from it, Ithink, in a broader scale.
You know, just supporting thepublications that you read
(22:03):
regularly.
The Guardian doesn't have apaywall, but we do have a little
notification at the bottom thatsays hey, you can donate here,
support the stories here.
So I think that supportingpublications that you like
supporting, you can donate here,support the stories here.
So I think that supportingpublications that you like
supporting reporters you like isvery important, especially
given what we were talking aboutearlier about the changing
media landscape and people notreally understanding the work
(22:25):
that we do.
It's important to support us sothat we can continue doing the
work.
Angela Tuell (22:30):
Yes, absolutely.
I love all of the new,especially on local basis, all
of the new independent outletsthat are popping up to cover
underrepresented communities.
I live in Indianapolis and wehave like three in the last year
or so that have startednonprofit outlets to cover those
communities and I love readingand supporting them.
Adria Walker (22:52):
Yeah, those are super exciting for me and
they're just also great ways foryou know more people to be able
to enter the field, which I'malways excited about.
Angela Tuell (23:01):
Yes, yes.
So what's next for you?
Project stories, your topicsyou're excited to explore in the
coming months.
Adria Walker (23:08):
Yeah, I mean I'm continuing to try to expand my
coverage of rural and that's oneof those words where my accent
comes out very ugly but of ruralcommunities.
I think that the rural peopleare certainly a group that we're
not doing and I don't mean theGuardian in particular, but just
like media not doing a greatjob of reaching and I'm just so
(23:32):
interested in their stories andI think that they're very
important for all of us on alocal, national and
international level.
I'm also interested incontinuing to expand my coverage
of Indigenous communities.
I've done a lot of reporting onthe Southeastern nations.
I'd like to expand that topeople outside of that
geographic area and, like I saidinitially, I'm just interested
(23:55):
in continuing my reporting onthe Gullah Geechee communities.
I've learned a lot in doing thereporting and I'm excited every
day I get to show up and learnsomething else and of course
this is a you know, home statebias, but I am very much looking
forward to continue reportingfrom Mississippi and about
Mississippi.
It's been very satisfying tohave people from across the
(24:19):
country and world reach out andsay, hey, you know, I didn't
know Mississippi had XYZ or Ididn't know this about
Mississippi and so, yeah, that'sbeen really, really gratifying
for me.
As you know, we've establishedI'm an aggressively passionate
Mississippian.
Angela Tuell (24:37):
I love that and you know, although you've been
doing journalism for a while now, you're still younger in your
career.
What do you hope the futureholds?
Do you have any?
Adria Walker (24:48):
big goals.
Yeah, I mean, I definitely wantto continue doing this work.
I'd like to write a book atsome point and I do love despite
my age interacting with youngerjournalists, so I'd love to.
You know I've done a lot oflike volunteering with school
newspapers or different thingslike that, but I'd love to just
(25:08):
teach some foundational courses.
I think that they're just soimportant and you know, I grew
up admiring journalists andwanting to be one, and I just
hope that we can continue thatfor the coming generations.
Angela Tuell (25:21):
Yes, me as well.
How can our listeners followyour work and connect with you
online?
Adria Walker (25:26):
Yeah, so the Guardian, of course, has a
byline page, so if you click mybyline, you can just read more
of my work there.
But then I'm also on socialmedia.
I haven't used my Twitter or Xin a couple of years.
I've yet to use my blue sky,but I am on both of those and
eventually I plan on sharingsomething.
And then I'm also on Instagramand I have the same ad on all of
(25:51):
them it's my name, adria Walker, without the E.
Angela Tuell (25:55):
Wonderful.
Thank you so much, adria.
Thank you for your time today.
That's all for this episode ofMedia in Minutes, a podcast by
Communications Redefined.
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I'm your host, Angela Tuell.
(26:15):
Talk to you next time.
Welcome to Media in Minutes.
This is your host, Angela Tuell.
This podcast features in-depthinterviews with those who report
on the world around us.
They share everything fromtheir favorite stories to what
happened behind the lens andgive us a glimpse into their
world From our studio here atCommunications Redefined.
This is Media in Minutes.
(00:29):
Today, we're talking with raceand equity journalist Adria
Walker.
Based in Mississippi, adriacovers indigenous communities of
the Deep South for the Guardian.
A Mississippi native, she hasbuilt a career telling nuanced,
human-centered stories aboutunderrepresented communities.
Before joining the Guardian,adria reported for the Democrat
and Chronicle in New York andMississippi Today, covering
(00:50):
everything from maternal healthdisparities to the 2020 protest
and criminal justice reform.
Adria's storytelling blendsdeep reporting with cultural
context, often amplifyingoverlooked voices across the
Deep South.
She's passionate about holdingpower to account, elevating joy
within Indigenous communitiesand reporting stories that
challenge perceptions.
(01:11):
Hello Adria, how are you today?
I'm well.
How are you Doing?
Well?
I'm looking forward to ourconversation.
I must say we'll start at.
You're a proud Mississippinative and currently based there
.
How did growing up there shapeyour voice and values as a
journalist?
Adria Walker (01:29):
Yeah, absolutely so.
Like you said, I am a veryproud Mississippi native,
seventh generation.
Every family is very proud tobe from Mississippi, but you
know the national level we arereally underdogs.
Mississippi is the butt ofeveryone's strokes.
People have this idea of a statethat they've never visited,
(01:51):
idea of people they've neverseen or interacted with, and I
think it definitely shapes myreporting and my voice in that I
approach every subject, everycommunity, knowing what it's
like to be the person thatnobody bothered talking to
before making a decision about.
And so I try to make a point,to go into every interview, like
(02:13):
I, even if I've done which Itypically do prep for the
interview, I try to just go in,you know, letting the person
guide the interview, letting theperson tell me their story,
because I don't want to eversomeone feel like I've felt
before as a Mississippiantraveling outside of the state.
I always want to make sure thatpeople know, you know I'm here
to see exactly what you have tosay, see your community for what
(02:35):
it is and not for what I mightthink it is.
Yes, and of course, we have avery strong, you know,
journalistic history inMississippi.
Ida B Wells has been aninspiration of mine.
Since I was a little girl, I'vealways thought it was very cool
that she's from the state, so Ithink that, you know, just
(02:56):
looking up to people like thathas been very important for me
as a Mississippian as well.
Angela Tuell (03:01):
Yeah, so did you always know, then that you
wanted to pursue journalism?
Adria Walker (03:05):
Yeah, absolutely so.
It's kind of ridiculous, butone of my favorite movies I kid
you not as a five-year-old wasHis Girl Friday.
I'm not even sure I joke withmy mom all the time, why was I
watching that at five, but itwas one of my favorite movies
and it really did get meinterested in journalism.
(03:26):
I think what I love about it is, you know, kind of what we were
just talking about.
I could see from the film howimportant journalism was.
You know, you had reporters who, unfortunately, were apathetic,
who were willing to let I don'twant to say any spoilers, but
they were willing to letsomething happen.
That would have been very dire.
But then you also had reporterswho were like, hey, actually we
(03:46):
can't let this happen.
We have all the facts here.
Something's not adding up.
And so they went and did theirjobs, they reported on the story
and again, I'm not going to sayany spoilers, but I will say
something nice happened at theend.
It was always a hugeinspiration for me as a kid,
something nice happened at theend.
Angela Tuell (04:05):
It was always a huge inspiration for me as a kid
, yeah, and I think for those ofus who always wanted to be a
journalist, it's reallydisheartening and upsetting
currently that there's a lot ofnegativity towards journalists.
Adria Walker (04:19):
How do you deal with that?
Yeah, it's been reallyinteresting to navigate.
You know it's been reallyinteresting to navigate.
So I started interning at alocal Alt Weekly gosh was that
14 years ago now?
And it's really interesting tosee the change in how people
respond to my saying I'm ajournalist over time.
When I first started out,people were always like, oh,
(04:40):
that's so cool, you know, tellme more about it.
And now I get like, why do youguys lie?
And I'm like whoa, whoa, whoa.
So it has been reallyinteresting to try to navigate
the changing way in which peopleview media and view journalism.
But I always try to use it as ateaching moment.
(05:01):
I think that a lot of peoplehave ideas about, similarly to
Mississippi.
A lot of people have ideasabout journalism, but they don't
fully understand whatjournalism is.
I've talked to so many peoplewho say, well, I saw on the
internet and I'll say, well, youknow what was the source?
And they will just have seen anInstagram post with like huge
text and that's the source forthem.
(05:22):
And so I try to try to take itfrom that angle.
Um, and it does kind of.
Sometime, you know, it can bequite disheartening, but I have
had a lot of success in sayingyou know you should find
journalists who you trust andthat's how you build your media
literacy, that's how you respectthe profession, that's how you
understand the importance of theprofession.
Um, because I you know, we'refighting a very hard battle
(05:45):
right now to get people tounderstand that reporters aren't
the people who are making theseposts with huge texts that say
something that doesn't reallymake sense.
Angela Tuell (05:54):
Yes, yes, it's so frustrating to me when people I
know or you know have run into,say they get their news from
social media only, and socialmedia is just a person, not a
journalist what they'rereferring to.
You know, like you said, a postlike that, and that's how they
get their news and that's howthey afford to journalism.
So, yes, we're all trying toeducate every day.
(06:15):
Definitely, can you walk usthrough your career path and how
you got to the Guardian?
Adria Walker (06:21):
Yeah for sure.
So, like I said, I started at alocal alt weekly, the Jackson
Free Press, about 14 years ago.
As I said before, I alwayswanted to be a journalist, so it
just kind of made sense that Ibegan my internship there and I
stayed there for several years.
I was an intern for, I believe,two years.
I actually started when I was14.
(06:43):
So once I was legally oldenough to work, I became the
editorial assistant, which waspretty cool, and I have always
had a passion also for workingwith younger journalists, even
when I myself was one.
So I worked with a lot of people, with, you know, people from
(07:04):
middle schools or high schools,in a youth media project we
planned and created.
And so, yeah, at the JFP I dida lot of that type of work.
I worked with interns, I workedwith freelancers and I really,
you know, was able to hone myskills there there.
Afterwards I went to collegeand I worked on my college's
(07:28):
publication and continued justlike interacting with different
people.
I actually didn't major injournalism, I majored in
sociology and anthropology.
I just thought it would be aninteresting way to hone
different skills and I really docredit that with my research
and interviewing skills andafterwards I was a freelancer
for a couple of years.
I joined a report for Americain 2020 and moved to upstate New
(07:54):
York.
Angela Tuell (07:55):
Oh wow, that's quite different from where you
are.
Yeah, it's a huge change fromMississippi.
Adria Walker (08:01):
I saw like real snow for the first time, which
was crazy.
But yeah, I lived there forseveral years, reported there
for several years.
I was with the Democrat andChronicle initially, and then I
accepted the job with the USAToday Network of New York.
Okay, and so I stayed there forseveral years before returning
(08:23):
to Mississippi and starting myjob at the Guardian.
Angela Tuell (08:27):
Wow, that's great .
That's quite a quick move up, Iwould say as well, and you've
covered everything fromcommunity activism to maternal
health, to criminal justice andsmall town politics, as you've
mentioned.
What led you to what you focuson at the Guardian now, and tell
us more about that focus,please?
Adria Walker (08:47):
Yeah, so I am one of the race and equity reporters
at the Guardian with a specificfocus on Gullah Geechee
communities and that kind of isborn out of an initiative that
the Guardian specifically has,but it's also just been an
interest of mine for years.
I think like many millennial orGen Z adults, I grew up
watching Gullah Gullah Islandand of course it's not an
(09:10):
anthropological or documentarystyle show or anything.
It was for preschoolers, but itwas my introduction to the
Gullah Geechee community andthen as an adult I would just
read more about the communityand I just thought it was very
interesting and one of thosecommunities that we owe a lot
culturally to, but you don't seeas much reporting on the people
(09:31):
who exist today, and so,because the Guardian did already
have that interest, it justfelt quite serendipitous.
The Guardian was alsointerested in expanding coverage
of the Deep South.
As I've said, proudMississippian, I mean, I do have
Louisiana roots and I'm proudof those as well.
So the ability to report on theregion that I am so passionate
(09:52):
about was just something that Icouldn't pass up.
And, yeah, I'm grateful to beable to tell these stories, to
be able to, for instance, I'vedone a lot of reporting lately
in the Mississippi Delta and I'mgrateful to be able to do that.
These are stories that you knowmight seem very local, but do
often have a national impact.
And even when they don't, Ithink it's important for people
(10:14):
in other places to know what'shappening across the country.
So, yeah, I'm very grateful forthe reporting I'm able to do.
Angela Tuell (10:23):
What are some of your recent most memorable
stories?
Adria Walker (10:26):
Oh, my gosh, there's so many.
So, like I said, I've beenrecently reporting a lot from
the Mississippi Delta and Istarted that last year.
I wrote about an art exhibit offarmers in the Delta and from
that exhibit I was invited towrite about a corner store which
is essentially a type ofgrocery store that was opening
(10:49):
in Clarksdale, mississippi, andfrom there I was invited to
write about the sinners sorry,the sinners screening in
Clarksdale.
So I just really love how thesestories kind of snowball yeah,
and you know I started havingpeople like by the time that I
reported about the grocery storeI started having people say, oh
, weren't you the girl who youknow wrote about this?
(11:11):
And I think that that's justsomething that's so important.
Building those communityconnections even if you're not
like I don't live in the Delta,I'm not physically there all the
time, but through reporting,through just interacting with
people, through letting sourcesknow, you know you can call and
just tell me about something Imight not write about but I do
value you as a person and notjust a source is super important
(11:33):
.
I've also been fortunate enoughto start expanding coverage of
Indigenous communities.
So I wrote recently about agroup called Nchunwa which is
working to revitalizeSoutheastern traditional tattoos
.
Yeah, that one was pretty cool.
And that's another story thatwas just kind of born out of
doing reporting and connectingwith folks and interacting with
(11:54):
people and letting them knowlike, hey, if you have an idea,
feel free to reach out and youknow I'll do my best to see if I
can write about it.
Angela Tuell (12:03):
Yes, that's fantastic.
What other ways do you try tofind stories, these stories?
Adria Walker (12:08):
Yeah, it's really all over, I mean.
So I do travel quite a bit forwork and I try to do my best to
just like talk to people.
Um, like I'll, if I'm pumpinggas, I'll just talk to the
person in the gas station, like,what's going on in your city,
what's happening here?
Um, I'm driving through, tellme something weird about your
(12:30):
city.
And one thing that I've reallyfound is that people just want
to talk, they want to interact.
I think that, you know,especially as we live in such a
digital world, such a fragmentedworld, people don't get those
face-to-face connections asoften.
Going on has really benefitedme and I think from there, you
know, people see that it isgenuine and once they do start
(13:02):
reading the stories, they'remore excited to, you know, reach
out to me and say, hey, youknow, I know you told me that
you would be interested inwriting about something, what
about this?
And so, yeah, that's been verybeneficial.
Angela Tuell (13:11):
Yes, I know that journalism around race and
equity can be emotionally heavy.
What helps you stay grounded,you know, or take care of your
mental health when you'reworking on some of the stories
that might be more negative?
Adria Walker (13:33):
And that's something that you know.
You just learn over time.
There was a period before Istarted at the Guardian that I
was working on just so many justtaxing and draining stories.
When I lived in upstate NewYork, I covered the shooting in
Buffalo and I spent just monthsjust reporting.
I mean, I'm grateful for thatreporting, but it was just like
incredibly draining, yes, andfrom that I essentially had to
(13:58):
force myself not to do that.
I had to force myself.
You know, if you're going towrite a story about something
horrific, you have to writesomething that's hopeful.
Um, and even just outside ofthat, I'm a certified yoga
teacher.
But while I was doing a lot ofthat reporting, I stopped my own
practice, um, just out ofstress, and so I had to force
(14:18):
myself to start practicing again.
I had to force myself.
I like to hike.
I had to force myself to starthiking again.
You know, just finding theselittle things to disconnect
completely from reporting on isso important and I think that
honestly just goes for like anyindustry.
I think that once you get tothe point where you're just
taking it home and it's all youcan think about, you're not
(14:39):
helping yourself and you're nothelping you know the communities
in which you're reporting, ifyou're burning yourself out, if
you're draining yourself.
So I see it as my self takingcare of myself, but also taking
care of the people I write about, just so I can show up as best
as I can.
Angela Tuell (14:56):
Yes, that's such great advice.
What other advice would yougive to young journalists you
know, especially those fromunderrepresented communities who
are hoping to tell stories thatmatter?
Adria Walker (15:06):
Yeah, I mean, I just think it's so important and
this really just goes to alljournalists but it's so
important to just do the work.
You know you have to learn thebasics but you also have to show
up for people and with people.
Like I said, just my attendingevents that I might not be
writing about, but just makingsure that people see me in the
community has been so helpfuland also just affirming for
(15:28):
people that their stories areinteresting, their stories do
matter, has been reallyimportant and that's something
that I think, even when I wasjust starting out, I tried to,
you know, take into the fieldwith me, even before I was could
drive while I was reporting.
I would just show up and justbe like ridiculously curious
about the people around me.
(15:50):
And, of course, learning thebasics.
That's something that when I amworking with younger
journalists, I do just try tohone in.
You know, it doesn't matter howgood you are at asking
questions If you can't write thestory.
You have to know those basics.
And learning them, you know,for some people might be tedious
, but if you do have acommitment to these communities,
if you do have a commitment toyour readers, then you want to
(16:12):
give them a good product.
So I do always hone that in aswell.
You have to learn the basics,but then you also have to show
up for people.
Angela Tuell (16:19):
Yes, absolutely.
I know that many of us knowwhat the Guardian is and you
know a little bit about it.
What would you say for thosewho are not super familiar with
the outlet?
Adria Walker (16:30):
Yeah, so the Guardian is an international
publication.
I work specifically for theGuardian US, but we are like
kind of under the banner of thebig Guardian, which is based out
of the UK.
There's also Guardian Australiaand Guardian Europe, and so we
do have a global mindset, but wealso are very local in a lot of
(16:51):
the stories that we do, which Ijust think is a really
interesting um combination.
Yes, it's led to some funnycopy things.
Sometimes I'll get emails fromreaders, um, and they'll say
something about like aneditorial decision in the copy
and I'll have to say, yeah,that's the style in the UK.
Um, yes, but I do think it's.
(17:12):
I do think it's interesting evenfrom that, just learning about,
you know not, I am a bit of ajournalism nerd, so it's really
cool to see, just like acrossthe world, how different copy
things exist.
So yeah, that's my the storiesthere.
Many of our listeners are inpublic relations.
Angela Tuell (17:36):
So I have to ask you what makes a pitch stand out
to you when you're decidingwhat to pursue or cover?
Do you get pitches?
Very often from publicists.
Adria Walker (17:44):
Yeah, absolutely I do, and I think one of the main
things is just being able totell that they're familiar with
my work.
Yeah, it gets frustratingsometimes to get pitches that
don't really make sense for meto cover.
So I think that just being ableto tell that the person who's
reaching out knows okay, she'swritten about this before she
(18:05):
might be interested in this isvery important to me.
And also just having a pitchthat's clear I've gotten a few
pitches that didn't really makesense to me and also just having
a pitch that's clear.
I've gotten a few pitches thatdidn't really make sense to me.
And I do often try to follow up, especially when I have time or
a lull in stories.
I'll try to follow up and justkind of try to help people ask a
better question.
I don't always have that timeand I do sometimes feel guilty
(18:29):
about it.
But you know, I think we canbridge the gap there by being
familiar with the reporters orpitching.
I do also try to forwardpitches to other people when I
know that I wouldn't write aboutit, but it's something that I
think a colleague might beinterested in.
Angela Tuell (18:42):
That is so great.
I know it's really hard whenyou're very busy to follow all
of them.
How many stories a week do youwrite?
Adria Walker (18:49):
Oh, it really varies, gosh.
I'd say probably between threeto seven.
But I typically have quickerstories.
I have, you know, short-termstories, I have the longer-term
stories.
So it really is a mixed bag.
I always find that question abit difficult to answer.
I don't know if I should countthe back burner stories.
(19:12):
I don't know if I should countthe dailies.
I don't know if I should countthe dailies, and of course every
week does look different.
I'll have some weeks wherethere's just essentially a story
coming out every day, and thenI'll have some weeks where maybe
just a couple of stories comeout.
So it really does?
Angela Tuell (19:28):
This is probably a difficult question and a very
broad one, but I must askbecause of your expertise, you
know where do you feel there aregaps in media coverage in
general that you wish morejournalists or communicators you
know would pay attention towhen it comes to race policy,
community stories?
Adria Walker (19:52):
Yeah, I think that , and this is kind of something
I've hinted at, but I think thatit's really just not listening
to people.
Sometimes I'll frustrate myself, even with re-listening to an
interview and say, oh, whydidn't you ask about X, y, z?
And I think I do see that ingeneral in coverage.
There's often like a danglingidea that someone you're
interviewing will give you, andI don't think we do a great job
of always following back up onthose.
(20:12):
It's certainly something that Iwant to improve in my reporting
and I think it's just like alifelong reporting goal for
everybody to be the bestreporter they can.
But that's so important, youknow, not leaving stones
unturned just because we'reoften interacting with people
with whom you might be the firstjournalist they've ever spoken.
(20:35):
They might not have ever seenany stories written about their
communities or if they have,they might be stories that
aren't really representative oftheir communities, and so it's
really important to understand,like all of that going into the
interview, and so I try to askfollow-up questions that if,
even if they don't really answerwhat I'm asking the first time,
(20:56):
just continue asking follow-upquestions and not in a way that
can, you know, be overwhelmingto somebody who's never been
interviewed before, but just toreally get the you know
understanding I'm looking for.
But yeah, like I said before,it's just really important to
show up and do the work.
I mean, like I said, we'rereporting on communities who
might not have ever had ajournalist show up for them
(21:18):
before, and so they might notknow what to ask, they might not
know what to say, and so wejust have to kind of be that
introductory person for them,you know, outside of that
reporting world where you'reworking can help support and I
guess just help support thistype of journalism.
(21:41):
Yeah, I mean, I think for mepersonally, I really appreciate
when people reach out and say,hey, I read XYZ, I learned this,
or something like that.
It just really helps me to knowthat the reporting I'm doing is
useful for people.
They're learning from it, Ithink, in a broader scale.
You know, just supporting thepublications that you read
(22:03):
regularly.
The Guardian doesn't have apaywall, but we do have a little
notification at the bottom thatsays hey, you can donate here,
support the stories here.
So I think that supportingpublications that you like
supporting, you can donate here,support the stories here.
So I think that supportingpublications that you like
supporting reporters you like isvery important, especially
given what we were talking aboutearlier about the changing
media landscape and people notreally understanding the work
(22:25):
that we do.
It's important to support us sothat we can continue doing the
work.
Angela Tuell (22:30):
Yes, absolutely.
I love all of the new,especially on local basis, all
of the new independent outletsthat are popping up to cover
underrepresented communities.
I live in Indianapolis and wehave like three in the last year
or so that have startednonprofit outlets to cover those
communities and I love readingand supporting them.
Adria Walker (22:52):
Yeah, those are super exciting for me and
they're just also great ways foryou know more people to be able
to enter the field, which I'malways excited about.
Angela Tuell (23:01):
Yes, yes.
So what's next for you?
Project stories, your topicsyou're excited to explore in the
coming months.
Adria Walker (23:08):
Yeah, I mean I'm continuing to try to expand my
coverage of rural and that's oneof those words where my accent
comes out very ugly but of ruralcommunities.
I think that the rural peopleare certainly a group that we're
not doing and I don't mean theGuardian in particular, but just
like media not doing a greatjob of reaching and I'm just so
(23:32):
interested in their stories andI think that they're very
important for all of us on alocal, national and
international level.
I'm also interested incontinuing to expand my coverage
of Indigenous communities.
I've done a lot of reporting onthe Southeastern nations.
I'd like to expand that topeople outside of that
geographic area and, like I saidinitially, I'm just interested
(23:55):
in continuing my reporting onthe Gullah Geechee communities.
I've learned a lot in doing thereporting and I'm excited every
day I get to show up and learnsomething else and of course
this is a you know, home statebias, but I am very much looking
forward to continue reportingfrom Mississippi and about
Mississippi.
It's been very satisfying tohave people from across the
(24:19):
country and world reach out andsay, hey, you know, I didn't
know Mississippi had XYZ or Ididn't know this about
Mississippi and so, yeah, that'sbeen really, really gratifying
for me.
As you know, we've establishedI'm an aggressively passionate
Mississippian.
Angela Tuell (24:37):
I love that and you know, although you've been
doing journalism for a while now, you're still younger in your
career.
What do you hope the futureholds?
Do you have any?
Adria Walker (24:48):
big goals.
Yeah, I mean, I definitely wantto continue doing this work.
I'd like to write a book atsome point and I do love despite
my age interacting with youngerjournalists, so I'd love to.
You know I've done a lot oflike volunteering with school
newspapers or different thingslike that, but I'd love to just
(25:08):
teach some foundational courses.
I think that they're just soimportant and you know, I grew
up admiring journalists andwanting to be one, and I just
hope that we can continue thatfor the coming generations.
Angela Tuell (25:21):
Yes, me as well.
How can our listeners followyour work and connect with you
online?
Adria Walker (25:26):
Yeah, so the Guardian, of course, has a
byline page, so if you click mybyline, you can just read more
of my work there.
But then I'm also on socialmedia.
I haven't used my Twitter or Xin a couple of years.
I've yet to use my blue sky,but I am on both of those and
eventually I plan on sharingsomething.
And then I'm also on Instagramand I have the same ad on all of
(25:51):
them it's my name, adria Walker, without the E.
Angela Tuell (25:55):
Wonderful.
Thank you so much, adria.
Thank you for your time today.
That's all for this episode ofMedia in Minutes, a podcast by
Communications Redefined.
Take a moment to rate, reviewand subscribe to our show.
We'd love to hear what youthink.
You can find more atcommunicationsredefinedcom slash
podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Tuell.
(26:15):
Talk to you next time.
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