If you’re one of our audience members in Charlottesville, you’re in luck! VPM is excited to welcome Hannah Davis-Reid to the VPM News team as its new general assignment reporter in Charlottesville. Hannah has been working with VPM since mid-April and will continue to ramp up VPM’s Charlottesville news coverage.
"Hannah has experience in building community trust and exploring the complexities that come with it,” said VPM News director Elliott Robinson. “I'm looking forward to her work in expanding our coverage of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.”
We caught up with Hannah to learn about her career, what drew her to VPM, why public media is important to her and more.
VPM: Can you tell us about some of your previous experience working in public media?
I worked for a year and a half as a general assignment reporter at WXPR, an NPR station in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Since our station was so small, I became a jack of all trades, learning how to report, produce and even host All Things Considered. I grew up listening to NPR in the backseat of my parents’ car, so hearing my own voice on the radio is a dream come true. It was so exciting to meet local listeners who said they woke up every morning to my reports!
VPM: Do you have a favorite story that you’ve covered?
I really enjoyed creating my Falling Short: POTS Treatment in the Northwoods series at WXPR. POTS is a chronic health condition that debilitates so many people, but it doesn’t receive a lot of media attention, or even physician attention at times. I was really proud of that series and the stories we were able to share.
VPM: Do you have any influences that made you want to go into news?
My dad always said he wanted me to be the next Lisa Desjardins. In high school, I listened to Michael Barbaro on The Daily every morning as I got ready for school.
VPM: What made you want to join VPM?
I attended the Public Media Journalists Association conference in DC last year and met reporters from VPM. We had a great conversation about our reporting experiences and I was really impressed with the team. When I saw the Charlottesville opening, I knew I wanted to apply!
VPM: What are you looking forward to the most working for VPM and covering Charlottesville?
The VPM team is so bright and supportive! I’m excited to dig into more investigative reporting, as well as reports on culture, politics, health, and education. That’s a lot, so it’s a good thing I’m a general assignment reporter!
VPM: What does public media mean to you and why is it important?
Public media to me means access. In many parts of the country, local news ecosystems have withered significantly, which really hurts democracy. It’s important that everyone in our community has access to verified information about the people and systems that impact them. I am proud every day that I get to work in public media
VPM: Do you have any fun interests or hobbies?
Outside of work, I love reading and cuddling up on the couch to binge a TV show with my cat, Luca. I’m interested in gardening and have a little garden set up on my patio. I also love paint by numbers sets!
Read some of Hannah’s recent work below:
- Charlottesville City Schools to acquire Federal Executive Institute property (4/30/2025)
- Charlottesville, UVA express interest in Federal Executive Institute property (4/29/2025)
- Albemarle ICE detainees are being held in Farmville (4/26/2025)
- 2 men detained at Albemarle courthouse in alleged ICE raid (4/23/2025)