Fall 2005 PDF - Milton Academy

Cynthia Needham ’95Urban Investigator“I have always been attracted to stories,”says Cynthia Needham ’95, a newsreporter for the Providence Journal. In thefew short years since she graduated fromthe Columbia School of Journalism,Cynthia has gained attention for breakingtough, complicated stories. She loves thework. “I like the straightforwardness ofprint journalism.“I want to investigate stories about peoples’lives. That’s what drives our world,”Cynthia says. Getting the full storyrequires a mix of idealism and healthyskepticism. Cynthia remembers workingon a story about a middle school. The officialsshe talked with wanted to keep thestory small, “but I kept looking and thinkingthat this wasn’t fair to these children.There was more to this.” EventuallyCynthia ended up writing a five-partexposé about the school and its mistreatmentof students.Last spring, one of Cynthia’s stories—apiece related to the crime committed by analleged serial killer—earned first place inthe news story category from the RhodeIsland Press Association. The story wasabout Jeffrey S. Mailhot, who police allege,over the course of about a year, solicitedthree prostitutes, lured them to his apartmentand strangled them.“It’s obvious this isn’t a pretty tale,”Cynthia says, “but for a rookie reporter itwas a bit of a break. The story blew openlate on a sweltering Saturday last July. Iwas working that day, but was rushing outthe door to get to an engagement partythat started an hour later. When I got thecall, I knew this was what I signed up forwhen I decided to go into journalism. So Itraded my heels for a pair of sneakers, gotout there and started reporting. I don’tthink I stopped (or slept much) for twoweeks after that. I didn’t really have amoment to back up and think much abouthow disturbing the whole story was untilthings slowed down. Along the way, I wastoo busy interviewing prostitutes to seewho knew what, getting inside the suspect’sapartment and traipsing around thedump, learning how police had located theremains of one of the woman who hadbeen killed.”For reporters, Cynthia says, “objectivity hasto be possible. You have to focus on thefacts. The minute print journalists stoptrying, we’ve given up on the idea of whatwe’re trying to do: vigorously report stories.Anything less is a disservice to thestories.” On her first day of journalismschool, Cynthia’s professor handed eachperson in the class a brown bag “as areminder to pack our own lunches, neverto accept a free lunch. People make fun ofme about that bag, but I will always have itabove my desk.” In fact, Cynthia argues“And what’s the story behind the story?”9 Milton Magazine