Juli McDonald brings two decades of investigative rigor to her role as CBS Boston's community affairs specialist. Her reporting lens focuses squarely on the intersection of municipal governance and neighborhood lived experiences.
McDonald prioritizes sources who can provide longitudinal perspectives on Boston-area issues. A recent successful pitch involved a Roxbury community organizer who mapped gentrification patterns using historical property records and oral histories . Avoid national policy experts lacking hyperlocal implementation insights.
We've followed Juli McDonald's evolution from regional newsrooms to her current role as a trusted voice in Boston-area journalism. Her career began at KFYR-TV in Bismarck, North Dakota, where she cut her teeth on agricultural reporting and severe weather coverage before transitioning to WWLP-TV in Springfield, Massachusetts. Here, she developed her trademark approach to political accountability journalism during heated state budget battles.
McDonald's six-month investigation into Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner's alleged involvement with a high-end brothel demonstrated her tenacity in pursuing sensitive stories. Through careful cultivation of anonymous sources and FOIA request mastery, she pieced together a timeline of financial irregularities that forced renewed scrutiny of municipal ethics codes. The ripple effects led to three proposed ordinances strengthening transparency requirements for local officials.
"When residents feel heard on camera, that's when real dialogue begins – not just soundbites."
Her coverage of the Everett soccer stadium debate showcased this philosophy. McDonald facilitated town hall-style discussions between developers and residents, ensuring equal airtime for both economic revitalization arguments and neighborhood preservation concerns. This balanced approach has become a model for WBZ's community engagement strategy.
McDonald prioritizes stories demonstrating how national issues manifest in specific Boston neighborhoods. A successful pitch might explore how climate migration patterns are reshaping school districts in Revere or how supply chain issues affect independent bookstores in Jamaica Plain. Recent coverage of small business recovery in East Boston [1] demonstrates this approach.
Her award-winning series on opioid crisis interventions [1] wove together perspectives from recovering addicts, medical professionals, and grandparents raising affected grandchildren. Pitches should identify unexpected demographic intersections within broader social issues.
2024 New England Emmy® Award Finalist (Community Engagement Category): Recognized for creating WBZ's "Neighborhood Voices" initiative that trains residents in mobile journalism techniques. This innovative program has empowered community members to document infrastructure issues and cultural events through smartphone footage integrated into newscasts.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Crime, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
