Our Town Podcast, hosted by Troy Bye, features guests across North Alabama to showcase everything the area has to offer.
Each week guests are invited from business, sports, entertainment, education, the arts, and much more to discuss all aspects of living and working in Huntsville.
For a rundown of Bye and Our Town Podcast, visit 256 Today’s profile on the podcast creator and his journey to Huntsville.
This week’s episode features Yellowhammer News editor Dylan Smith, who shared with Bye his path into the field of journalism.
“Episode 24 with Dylan Smith served as another reminder how much I enjoy hearing each guest’s story. His path to what he is doing now is Dylan’s own unique journey,” said Bye of the podcast’s latest episode. “The audience of this episode, particularly the younger audience pursuing a career in journalism, will benefit from hearing first-hand that there is no one clear-cut path to ultimately doing work that you are passionate about. And, what puts the proverbial ‘cherry on the top’ for EP 24 is that Dylan is a local son – the newly crowned Prince of Sand Mountain, AL.”
When asked what sets apart Yellowhammer News from other media outlets, Smith said the publication’s mission of delivering information to readers respects the news consumer.
“In my mind, what separates Yellowhammer from other outlets, we pride ourselves on presenting the news in a way that matters to Alabamians,” said Smith. “Look, Alabama consists of God-fearing, hard-working people. And how can we present the news in a way that matters to them? We love this state, we will never talk down to our readers. … We’re not a site that’s going to talk down to people. We’re going to respect our readership — always will, always have.”
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Smith then touched on what he viewed as the “left-wing” bias in today’s media landscape. Yellowhammer News, Smith said, will tell the other side of the story that liberal media will not cover.
“Really what makes us different, is there’s such a left-wing slant in media. That’s not opinion. That’s just fact. You look at it on the national level, you look at it on the state level, and even sometimes the local level. It’s there. It’s present,” he said. “So we’re presenting it in a way that a majority of Alabamians actually feel. We’re telling you the other side of the story that may not be presented by your traditional, legacy-type outlet. So we really pride ourselves on that.”
According to Smith, media does not exist to tell news consumers how to think.
“We have clear journalistic expectations of our content creators and myself. I really try to hold myself to a certain standard,” he said. “Look, you’ve got to be accurate, be hard-hitting, but accurate and be informative. Because at the end of the day, it’s not my job to tell you what to believe. You formulate your own opinion. I hate groupthink.”
“Not everyone has to agree on every issue,” said Smith. “And it shouldn’t be that way. So the onus is on us to present the news. You formulate the opinion. What separates us from other outlets, we’re not going to tell you what to think.”
Visit Our Town Podcast’s website to follow the latest interviews from a wide-ranging assortment of individuals throughout the Tennessee Valley.
