8% Series: Stephon Dingle, "The Storyteller"
Stephon Dingle – 29 – Morning News Reporter
Stephon, thank you for taking the time to speak to me! What is your current job title and what does that entail?
My alarm goes off at 2:30 a.m. and I am at work by 3:30 a.m. I read through stories and scripts then format the wording to match what i would regularly say. I also record news headlines for the radio in our radio booth. Many people think we have a makeup team; however, I have to do my own makeup which takes me less than 2 minutes. I mic’ up and head to set. This whole process takes about 3-4 hours and the reason we do this is because many people go to work or listen to the news at various times in the morning.
My role as a morning anchor is to be a storyteller and make the news similar to a morning conversation for our viewers. After that, for about an hour, I read various news stories and have editorial meetings where I pitch stories that may be good for the evening news. My work day usually ends by 1:00 p.m. but I never turn off because I go home and watch the CNN to always be aware of what is going on.
What made you interested in being a storyteller?
Well I was raised in Baltimore City; some people claim to be from Baltimore but are really from the suburbs. However, I was born and bred in the inner-city of Baltimore. My grandmother would always wake me up and we would watch the news together. Growing up I knew who the drug dealers were and who the undercover police officer was. When stories would break in my neighborhood, I would ride my bike to the scene and watch everything go down. Once everything wrapped up, I would ride back to my house and tell my grandmother the story about what happened. Little did I know she was setting me up to be a journalist and storyteller.
I went to school on a baseball scholarship and studied history, not journalism. When my grandmother passed my senior year college, I felt as if it was the worst thing to happen to me. However, at the same time I was applying for graduate school at Columbia and my grandmother became the premise of my personal statements. The summer before she passed away I interned at the very station I grew up watching WEBTV. After she passed I got into Columbia, I secured my internship at the Today’s Show and New York Times Student Journalism Institute. I believe all of those things are connected as to why I was motivated to what I am doing today.
How do you go about finding mentors?
I have several mentors and it is important to have full arsenal of mentors. You think about a police officer’s belt, they have a gun, cuffs, pepperspear, all that stuff. That is how you have to be with mentors. No one mentor can give you all of the advice you need. You need a variety of mentors.
The best way to get mentors is that you have to bring something to the table. I learned this by being a mentee and mentor. While mentors bring experience to the table, mentees have to bring potential and the desire to succeed.
You have to want to network and meet people. I love networking and building relationships. I tell my mentees all the time that networking is worth more any money I can ever have because I could lose my job but my network can connect me with someone who can help me.
What’s the best piece of advice a mentor has given you?
Some of the best advice I have received from a mentor was, “If you don’t go into anyplace feeling entitled, you want be disappointed.” That advice leads to the narrative that we must have grit and stay hungry, especially if you are a person of color.
How did being a part of a Black Greek Letter Organization influence you in your professional journey?
My undergrad was a public honors college that did not have Greek life at all. I studied history all through undergrad and I took a U.S. History class. We went through the whole history of the U.S., but we weren’t in the narrative. That next semester I took a 400-level African American U.S. History class; I was the only undergraduate student in the class. My mind was blown. I learned about the black press and Juneteenth. I looked back into history and realized that most of these prominent men in black history were Alpha Men. I saw the brotherhood and realized that these brothers had my back even before I became an Alpha. Now I am known as the “TV Bruh”. I go to conferences and people are in awe of you which is different because Alpha taught me to be selfless. Alpha teaches you to be a man of your own and that helps me in my career today.
How do you plan on shaping the future?
I plan on shaping the future by telling the stories that need to be told and changing the narrative that journalists of color are enemies of the people because we are not. I look forward to mentoring the next generation and letting them know that there is a path to where you want to go but you must have a game plan, the right mentors, and the ability to stay in your lane.