Meet Faith Wardwell, The N&O’s new breaking news reporter.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Faith Wardwell joined The News & Observer as a new breaking news reporter this year.
- She previously reported on Politico’s breaking news team covering national politics.
- Wardwell will focus on public safety and stories trending with readers online.
When I was a kid, I became addicted to the sound of news.
The hum of the TV during an evening newscast, the thump of a newspaper being delivered to the front door, the static of a radio talk show — those familiar sounds made up a soundtrack that echoed through most of my childhood memories.
In those early years, I watched my dad, an assistant news director for a local broadcast station in Boston, inhale local journalism at all hours. So I learned to do the same.
I ate my breakfasts on a tablecloth of sprawled out newspapers, mimicked the news anchors I watched on TV and listened intently to my dad’s editorial meetings on the way to school.
It was that exposure that first introduced me to the rhythm and pace of journalism — what questions to ask and when, and how to find the truth when the headlines get loud.
It’s easy to get lost in the chaos when news breaks, with new information rapidly unfolding and outstanding questions sometimes drawing speculation. But that’s why I’m here.
As The News & Observer’s new breaking news reporter, I’m joining a team with Lexi Solomon and Twumasi Duah-Mensah to deliver you immediate answers on what we know. We’ll cut through the noise to explain how we know those answers.
I’m your source on all things public safety, while also digging into what readers are buzzing about online.
And I’m no stranger to the chaos.
I graduated from George Washington University with a degree in journalism and political science. As a student journalist living in Washington, D.C., I had a front row seat to covering the nation’s biggest stories. That includes reporting live on Trump’s reelection win as an intern for NBC News and overseeing coverage of a 13-day pro-Palestinian encampment on GW’s campus as managing editor of the GW Hatchet.
Before moving to Raleigh this year, I reported for Politico’s breaking news team, where I delivered national headlines on major breaking stories, like President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Each breaking story has taught me to run into the storm the second news breaks.
But it’s also taught me to seek out the stories that hold a mirror to our audience. Some of my favorite stories at The N&O so far include profiling a small business overcoming adversity to open its doors and digging into neighborhood disputes on topics like wild vultures and federal surveillance.
How to reach me
I’m thrilled to be joining this newsroom of venerable journalists to help tell your stories.
Have a story idea? A breaking news tip? A question about our coverage? Email me at faith.wardwell@newsobserver.com. I’d love to hear from you.
Until then, thanks for reading.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Meet Faith Wardwell, The N&O’s new breaking news reporter.."
