As a reporter, Tommy Tucker knows that his voice is typically the least important voice in a story. Yet on June 13, I turned the tables and interviewed him on G-Town Radio for another installment of “A Local Lens,” the monthly radio show that I host every second Friday at 9 a.m.

“Outside of jobs, I've never been interviewed before,” Tucker said at the start of our conversation. He spoke about coming to journalism in a circuitous way, after first pursuing history, public policy and photography.

“I felt like I could help more people in journalism,” he reflected. “And, right before the pandemic, I took a journalism class and I just really liked it. So, when I transferred [from community college] to the University of Maryland, I switched to journalism.”

Tucker said that, although he believes journalism has always been important, the role of reporting is shifting.

“We can't always be first,” he said of the modern reporter. “Now, people on Facebook, people on TikTok, and Instagram are gonna find stuff out first. That's where people are gonna hear about things first. Our importance now is in fact checking, getting things correct, getting angles that people who are just posting online might not necessarily think of, or be able to find, or people's voices who don't have the time to actively be sharing, or actively be telling their own story.”

Listening to people’s stories is one of the elements of the job Tucker most enjoys. “I like to sit down and talk to a person face to face and talk to as many people as I can,” he said.

Prior to coming to the Local in July of 2024, Tucker interned at Capitol News Service, where he covered state government, and landed another internship at a Maryland newspaper, but the Local is his first paid reporting job. In our conversation, we recalled how, in his interview with myself and editor Carla Robinson, Tucker immediately endeared himself to us when he said that his perspective was the least important perspective in a story.

And, yet, Tucker, who moved from Maryland to Mt. Airy to work at the Local, has become deeply rooted in the community he covers.

“I’m glad I picked Mt. Airy,” he said, “because I'm in the middle of everything I cover. I live on Upsal Street, so go a block the other way and I'm in Germantown, and then Chestnut Hill is so close. Being able to ingrain myself in the community is important. I definitely like living in the community I cover.”

Tucker spoke about his appreciation for different perspectives, especially when covering development-related stories. He said he was surprised by the vast array of opinions among different community members and local groups and feels like those expanded perspectives make his job “a lot more fun.”

“I feel like the wide-ranging opinions make [subjects] more interesting to report on… It's not everyone saying the same thing.”

People say a lot to Tommy Tucker, on and off the record. During our interview, he shared that he prefers to record all interviews but always lets people know they can share things off the record, which he will not print or attribute to them. This common journalistic practice allows people to share information with reporters that they can use to inform their reporting but can not share publicly. It’s a vital part of the trust-building process that Tucker says happens naturally by simply behaving as a person and not trying to pump people for information. Instead, he creates space and safety for them to open up, as much or as little as they decide. “I don't see it as trying to get someone to trust me,” he said. “It's not a game. It's just talking to people… I tell people, ‘You can tell me something's off the record and I'm not gonna use it. But clearly state, this is off the record. This is on the record.’”

I’ll go on-record as saying it’s been a delight to work with an engaged, dedicated, diligent and humble reporter.

“To act like you [as a reporter] don't have opinions, I think that's a lie you’re telling yourself,” Tucker opined. “It's just how you carry yourself throughout your career and how you approach each issue. You don't center yourself in it.”

To listen to his full interview and experience the rarity of Tommy being the center of attention, visit chestnuthilllocal.com and click on “A Local Lens,” or to send Tommy a news tip, email him at tommy@chestnuthilllocal.com. 

Next month, be sure to tune in for another interview at 9 a.m. on July 11 at 92.9 FM, G-town Radio.

Daralyse Lyons can be reached at daralyse@chestnuthilllocal.com.