AYNOR – Often, when the former Trump administration reached international news, a signature recognizable to many in Aynor appeared at the top of The Washington Post’s coverage.
With great opportunities, like the ex-president calling some countries “shit holes”, a summit coverage with North Korean leaders and daily updates of a chaotic White House, Joshua Dawsey from Aynor stood out as a fair, obstinate reporter and distinctly southern that covers the story in the White House as it unfolded.
But years before covering the most powerful people in the world, Dawsey began his career as a journalist in Aynor, his hometown where his parents still own a farm today, holding the most powerful people in the Independent Republic of Horry accountable.
While covering Trump, Dawsey believed his creation gave him an idea of why people supported the former president and what issues led them to a vote. Unlike many reporters he knew, he did not find his first Trump rally so surprising or strange.
“I am not someone from New York or Washington. I’m back in touch with the salt people of the earth who work hard, care about their country and see things very differently from Washington, for better or for worse, ”said Dawsey. “Many of my colleagues who grew up in different places were really surprised the first time they went to a Trump rally. I was not.”
Dawsey’s first job was not news. In fact, it was a job that many Trump supporters in the field can relate to. He was helping his father to grow more than 100 acres and sell produce, hard work that prepared him for difficult tasks in the future.
His subscription was first published in the Aynor Journal, a now-defunct weekly publication with a print run of 3,000, where he served as editor-in-chief while in high school. His job included writing news articles, editing them, designing the newspaper and even delivering the newspaper to customers.
He then went on to work in other local and state media during college and in the early days of his professional career as a journalist.
While at the University of South Carolina, he led the Daily Gamecock, learning even more how to investigate and expose corruption in government agencies. Investigations on the large increases given to the highest paid employees and a deep dive into the pranks of Greek life were highlighted. Dawsey said he is still proud of his student journalism work to this day.
Dawn Bryant, her former editor in Myrtle Beach, immediately picked up her phone and took a picture of Dawsey when she first saw him on CNN. Dawsey can be found regularly explaining politics on national politics television programs.
Working with him for more than a decade, Bryant remembers a passionate young reporter who was able to turn a story quickly and accurately. Dawsey would cover governments like the Horry County Council, business and even crime across the Myrtle Beach area.
“Even at the start of his career, he had a quick turnaround from good, solid work,” said Bryant. “I knew Josh would be able to do whatever he wanted. I am extremely proud to see the level at which he is working as a successful journalist. I always knew he was capable of that. “
Dawsey believed that his work in South Carolina gave him the basis for covering the federal government. In many ways, the journalistic skills he developed in Myrtle Beach – how to deal with sources and fight for transparency – still shape his accountability account at the White House.
“The basics of the crash report: attend meetings; talk to sources without stopping; ask for documents; looking for new stories; and ask more questions and painful questions, ”said Dawsey. “I learned the basics of journalism, whether covering the White House or the Horry County Council.”
Generally, in their experience, local and Washington politicians are looking to protect their image for re-election and are not always accessible about potentially negative information. There are some exceptions, but the role of the press is to reveal what would otherwise go unnoticed.
Jonathan Swan, the Axios reporter whose facial expressions after an interview with Trump went viral online, said Dawsey quickly began to differentiate himself from his colleagues in the DC press.
“He didn’t cover the Trump campaign and asked where the hell did he come from? He didn’t cover the campaign, but he suddenly broke a ton of stories. Naturally, I resented him, and then I met him and unfortunately I really liked him, ”said Swan. “It is very easy to know when someone is faking it. When they’re counting on beautiful writing or all these flourishes or take something half cooked and decorate it … but Josh doesn’t have to do that because he always has what he needs. “
Swan said his competitor’s stories are always excellent and provide critical and revealing information.
Growing up outside the political world of DC gave Dawsey unique advantages that his competitor noticed. Swan said Dawsey is particularly good at relating and talking to sources, sometimes while drinking after work, a skill that Swan identified as a southern trait.
Dawsey’s roots go beyond his personality and work ethic. His childhood also shapes his judgment on the news. Especially during the pandemic, Dawsey knew the importance of small businesses to the community and what can be lost without them. His parents’ farm is one of those small businesses, and he knows firsthand the challenges of staying afloat even in good years.
“There is a value to the hard work I learned from Horry County that I think has served me well,” he added.
Covering Trump’s presidency was exciting for Dawsey – fascinating at times and exhausting at others. The work took him around the world to see hundreds of historic events unfold, witness two impeachment trials and an insurrection within the Capitol and watch the federal government respond to a pandemic.
Now that there is a new government in the White House, Dawsey will move on to the investigative team, where his effort for accurate reporting will help clarify government negotiations.
Although he loves DC and is a nationally recognized reporter, Dawsey misses the warm weather in Horry County, the ocean and enjoying an afternoon on his parents’ porch. Despite the busy days and nights covering a president, returning to Palmetto State to see his family or watch the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium is his strategy for staying motivated and avoiding burnout.
And, of course, like any Carolinian coming home from the north, a stop at Bojangles or Cookout for the best fast food in the south is a must for him while at home.
“My parents have a balcony in the front and one in the back. I usually do very little while I’m at home, “said Dawsey, remembering hot summers and trips to the beach with his family.” But after four or five days my mom jokes that she can say that I’m getting restless and I’m ready to go back to work. “
