On Background: Meet Josh Bergeron, our local news editor

This mini Q&A vignette is a part of an going series called “On Background” to reacquaint readers with the team of journalists working in our newsroom. Responses edited for clarity.

Josh Bergeron joined The Charlotte Observer in March as its local news editor for politics, local government and education. He also edits news for the Rock Hill Herald. Josh manages content for the CLT Politics Newsletter, which posts every Thursday.

Prior to coming to Charlotte, Josh was the editor of the Salisbury Post in Salisbury. He has worked as a reporter or editor elsewhere in North Carolina, as well as in Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi.

His first job after graduating from Louisiana State University was covering Concordia Parish, Louisiana, for The Natchez Democrat in Natchez, Mississippi. In subsequent jobs, he reported most often on local government and politics — a topic he enjoyed writing about.

Josh has earned a collection of press association awards at each of his newspaper stops — from photography and video to enterprise and public service. In 2019, Editor & Publisher named Josh to its 25 under 35 list.

How did you get into journalism?

I entered journalism mostly because I needed to pick a major when going to college, and it seemed this subject most fit with my interests. My dad, then active duty Army but now retired, talked often about the news and politics growing up. I enjoyed my high school AP English classes and seemed to do fairly well in writing-focused classes.

There was a point close to graduation where I wondered aloud whether I should change majors, but doing that would have required college debt. I was otherwise able to graduate without college debt because of my dad’s GI Bill.

What excites you about this field?

I’m excited about possibilities that new media formats provide for storytelling and opportunities to dive head first into those as new mediums. I’m excited, too, by the ability to learn new things about the world around us and to hold public officials accountable. There’s also something special about the feeling you get when big news happens. It’s a kind of adrenaline that you can’t really get in any other job.

What is the most interesting aspect of your beat/job?

The most interesting aspect is the unique excitement and pressure that comes with journalism, especially during breaking news situations. Also ranking highly on the most interesting list is we’re asked daily to meet new people and learn novel things about the Charlotte region.

Words of wisdom you’ve received?

While at LSU, I made a mistake in a story for the student newspaper and met with a professor who taught a field experience course. It was a capstone course for a limited number of people. He talked me through what I had done wrong and told me I wasn’t a failure because I had messed up. But, I would be a failure if I didn’t pick myself up and do better the next time, he said.

Proud life moments? Something you’d like to improve?

Some of my proudest life moments have been editing and publishing news stories that made a big difference in the community we reported on, particularly some of the ones that held public officials accountable for their actions. At the Observer, I’d like to continue learning more about Charlotte and the people who live here so I can be more keenly aware of what people would like to see reporters focus on.

Fun fact about you?

Through a tumultuous childhood between divorced parents, then my dad’s military service and a few of my own professional moves, I’ve lived in 14 cities during my life. I went to three different schools in three different states during second grade — Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina.