Behind the scenes of North Dakota journalism with Tom Gerhardt

Local journalism has changed dramatically over the past three decades. Reporters who once edited tape by hand and carried pounds of television equipment can now record, edit and broadcast stories from a smartphone. In this episode of The Backstory, host Sabrina Halvorson talks with Tom Gerhardt, executive director of Dakota Media Access and a member of the North Dakota News Cooperative’s board of directors. Gerhardt reflects on his more than 20 years in television news and how technology has changed the way journalists cover and share stories. “I always felt like I was working for the communities that I served.” - Tom Gerhardt Gerhardt traces his path from writing for his high school newspaper to working at KMOT-TV in Minot and spending approximately 17 years at KXMB-TV in Bismarck. He also discusses covering the Dakota Access Pipeline protests as the story drew national and international attention, just as Facebook Live and other mobile broadcasting tools were beginning to change television news.