An interview with OPB news director Gillian Flaccus

In late 2025, Gillian Flaccus joined the team as OPB’s News Director. As an award-winning news veteran with more than 25 years at The Associated Press, Gillian has covered major stories across the U.S., including Hurricane Katrina, the 2018 Camp Fire in Palisades, California, mass shootings in Colorado and California and numerous earthquakes.

She recently spoke with OPB’s Jamie Hershman to reflect on her journalism career and her new role.

Jamie Hershman: What originally drew you to work in the journalism field?

Gillian Flaccus: I did not major in journalism in college. I got my bachelor’s degree in “Asian Languages and Civilizations” with a concentration in Chinese language and history, and I thought for a long time that I would work in the foreign service. But I also loved to write, and one summer during college I didn’t have a job lined up and wound up getting an informal internship at my hometown paper. They paid me by the word, and I wrote lots of education stories. I got positive feedback and really loved it, so when I went back to college, I started writing for the student newspaper and decided to apply for reporting jobs after graduation. I got my first job right out of college at a tiny newspaper in South Carolina covering education and went on to get an internship at The Associated Press that turned into a 25-year career there.

Hershman: What experiences in your career helped shape the way you think about journalism today?

Flaccus: The strongest and most memorable stories in my career — by me or by others — have been the ones that prove the power of accountability journalism. One of the most impactful stories I have been involved in was AP’s coverage of the deadly 2023 wildfire in Lahaina, Maui. I was a manager overseeing coverage in Hawaii and four other states at the time and our award-winning accountability reporting showed how warning sirens didn’t sound, key escape routes were blocked, the top emergency management official was absent from the island and communications systems failed, leaving people on their own as they tried to flee the flames.

Hershman: What appealed to you most about working for OPB specifically?

Flaccus: After years working at a large international news outlet, what appeals to me most about OPB is the focus on local accountability journalism that makes a real difference in people’s lives and helps them understand their communities better.

Hershman: Looking back, what is one lesson you learned from a past journalistic role that you’re bringing with you to OPB?

Flaccus: One of the most important things that a reporter can do is get out in the community and meet people. Often, the way people see a story when they are living through it is much different than you might expect, and just by showing up, you can make connections, gain perspective and discover new story ideas.

Hershman: Ten years from now, how do you hope people view OPB and its role in this region?

Flaccus: In 10 years, I hope people across Oregon and Southwest Washington will view OPB as a premiere news organization in the Pacific Northwest. I hope OPB will be a connecting force that leads the regional conversation, brings people together and helps people of different backgrounds, values and cultures better understand each other.

Hershman: What are you listening to, reading, and watching right now?

Flaccus: I am reading “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy, a climate fiction novel that reminds me of another favorite book I read recently called “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr. I’m also reading “Again and Again” by Seattle-based author Jonathan Evison. Of course, I am listening to, watching and reading OPB across all platforms. I really enjoyed the movie Train Dreams — set in the Pacific Northwest — and as a family, we are working through all 11 seasons of “Modern Family.”

Editor’s note: A shortened version of this interview appeared in the Spring 2026 edition of OPB’s quarterly member magazine, OPB Connect.