Behind the Doc Coverage

Documentary producer and writer Clay Johnson provides some behind-the-scenes insight into the production of WRAL documentaries.

Behind the Doc Blog: Finding a Fix

In 2017, some folks in our News Department told me the law enforcement and EMS agencies they encounter during their work were seeing a dramatic increase in the number of opioid overdoses.

Paddling the Neuse: 7 people, 7 days, almost 180 miles

It's been a fantastic week on the Neuse River.

Paddling the Neuse: Wary of a severe weather forecast, keeping an eye on the river and one on the sky

With most of eastern North Carolina under threat of severe weather, we kept our eyes on the radar and weather pages.

Paddling the Neuse: An Easter reminder at water's edge

We take a turn and see three white crosses at the water's edge, a good reminder it is Easter weekend.

Paddling the Neuse: A BBQ welcome in Seven Springs

I'm told Seven Springs is the friendliest town on the Neuse River, and I don't doubt it.

Paddling the Neuse: A BBQ welcome in Seven Springs

I'm told Seven Springs is the friendliest town on the Neuse River, and I don't doubt it.

Monday, Tuesday on the Neuse: Secluded riverway hums with life

This run of the river is beautiful. It's rather secluded, and we passed under just two roads the entire day.

Bill Leslie: The Neuse River is not a report card I'd want to take home to my parents

30 years after bi-partisan action saved the Neuse River, Bill Leslie returns to see how North Carolina's waterway is faring.

Behind the Doc: "75 Hours"

In my 38 years working at WRAL-TV, I've had the privilege of covering some amazing and historic stories. But few of them compare with experiencing a hurricane firsthand.

Behind the Doc: Connecting the Bots

Studies by NC State and MIT looking at the potential job losses from automation were the inspiration behind our documentary "Connecting the Bots."

Behind the Doc: 'Speaking the Unspeakable'

Experts estimate that one in four girls and one in six boys have been sexually abused. They say the actual numbers are probably much higher since many cases go unreported.

Behind the Doc: Land of Opportunity

Too many people in our state, often influenced by inflammatory rhetoric, tend to paint Hispanic immigrants with a broad brush dipped in misconceptions and negative stereotypes.

Producer Blog: Sea level rise is 'so clearly fact'

In our documentary "Sea Change" about the impacts of sea level rise on North Carolina's coast we interviewed Spencer Rogers, a coastal geologist for NC Sea Grant who also serves on the science panel for the NC Coastal Resources Commission. He lamented how sea-level rise and climate change had become political issues not science, saying "sea level rise is not a theory, it's a measurement." Indeed it's been measured for over a hundred years and there's no question the sea is rising. The only debate left is how fast it will rise in the future and how much could mankind be contributing to that acceleration.

Behind the doc: Searching for a Fix

In researching and producing "Searching for a Fix" there were some things that surprised me and one thing that did not. I was surprised how widespread the problem of prescription opioid and heroin addiction is, how users switch from the former to the latter because heroin is cheaper and easier to get and how there appears to be no real demographic for someone who is addicted to heroin

Behind the Doc: Grading Teacher Pay

It seems like our state's policymakers on both sides of the aisle have agreed for decades that public school teachers are not adequately paid. So why does the problem persist?

New economy meets old on eastern NC farms

Dawson Singletary is part of our state's traditional agricultural economy and heritage and the solar farm on his land is part of our state's high tech economy and its future in renewable energy production.

Pitt County's fight against domestic violence

The Pitt County Sheriff's Office is toughening its stance on domestic violence offenders, particularly between the time of when they are arrested and go to trial.

Conflict resolution skills a modern necessity

The Crisis Intervention Team Training offered to law enforcement officers mirrors measures in the corporate world that teach conflict-resolution skills.

Bulls documentary makes history

In late March, our station manager Jim Rothschild sent me an email with the subject line "Want to make history?" Now that got my attention.

State leaders can act to reduce hunger in NC

When it comes to hunger in our state, most people may not want a big government solution, but they should still expect their government to tackle big problems not just throw up its hands and say there's nothing that can be done.

DOT comments fuel conflict over Bonner Bridge

A Hatteras Island resident we talked with in producing our documentary "Bridge in Troubled Water" called the Bonner Bridge replacement debate a reflection of our polarized, partisan politics at the national level.

Poverty complex; requires complex solutions

Poverty is a large and complex problem and will require complex solutions involving everyone from average folks donating canned green beans to our highest elected officials who direct public policy

Clash of mission, money in big-time sports is an age-old problem

Perhaps the most surprising thing I learned in the production of "College $ports: #MissionorMoney" is that the issues the documentary raises were issues raised about college sports nearly a hundred years ago.

Documentary gives voice to long-term unemployed

On the same day the story broke about the big raises for two inexperienced staffers at the NC Department of Health and Human Services I received an e-mail from Sydney Houston, a woman we had interviewed a month earlier for our documentary "Cut Loose and Cut Off." She's one of the 70,000 people who lost federally funded extended unemployment benefits on July 1. She wrote that her electricity had been cut off. That will certainly make her job hunt easier.

Listen to the moderate Muslim voices

There have been Muslims living in North Carolina for decades. In fact, some of the very first Muslims in our state were African slaves who were brought here in the 18th century. People just didn't really take much notice of the Muslims around them until 9/11 and other high profile acts of terrorism committed by radical extremists claiming to be Muslims.