Devon Walsh has spent nearly two decades in Gulf Coast television, and in 2017 the Associated Press named her Best News Anchor in Alabama — an honor she has now captured three times. The longtime Mobile personality recently sat down to talk about the award and what keeps her passionate about local news.
For Walsh, the appeal of the work comes down to service.
“Hands down, the best part of my job is being able to help people,” she said. “I always felt like from the very beginning that this job really provided a public service. Whether we’re providing information or telling someone’s story, the fact that people entrust us every single day to get out whatever message they want to get out is amazing.”
She said that trust — sitting down with someone while they share a difficult or meaningful chapter of their life — has remained the most satisfying part of the job from her first day on air to today.
“Here almost twenty years later, that is still so satisfying to me, to be trusted with someone’s personal story and be able to share that with everyone,” Walsh said.
In a wide-ranging conversation, she also reflected on what first drew her to broadcasting and how much the business has changed since she started — from the technology in the studio to the ways viewers now consume the news.