Scott Mason

Reporter

Professional Experience:
1997 to present: reporter, WRAL-TV; 1991 to 1997: anchor/reporter/producer/news director, WCVE-TV, Richmond, Va.; 1988 to 1990: bureau chief, WHIO-TV, Dayton, Ohio; 1986 to 1988: reporter, WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, N.C.; 1984 to 1985: reporter, WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Awards & Recognition:
Winner of more than five dozen journalism awards, including: three National Edward R. Murrow Awards; 17 regional Emmys; the Gabriel Award, the National Headliner Award and two North Carolina TV Reporter of the Year awards

News Philosophy:
Great characters make great stories. And they are, after all, stories, not just news reports. The best stories have twists and turns and surprises and snappy writing. There should be room for that in news. Creativity is the spice of storytelling.

Education:
Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism and Communications, 1984, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va.

Birthplace:
Raleigh, N.C.

Hobbies, Interests & Community Involvement:
Tennis, writing, ice hockey

Family & Pets:
Wife, Nina; daughters, Lane and Genie; son, Scout

Favorite Books:
"On Writing" by Stephen King; "The Best of Robert Service" by Robert Service; "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss

Likes Best About North Carolina:
The climate and southern hospitality.

Most Memorable Assignments:
I once broke the story of an elderly woman at a private nursing home. The owner of the home found her slumped in a chair. The woman was declared dead and taken to a funeral home where she woke up on the embalming table! What seemed like a quirky local feature snowballed into an international headline-grabber involving unlicensed nursing homes and declaration-of-death laws.