Chuck Liddy stumbled into a career as a photojournalist after he found out he could walk into high school football games for free if he had a camera around his neck. But the photography enthusiast had already converted a bathroom in his house into a darkroom and enjoyed experimenting with the camera his dad had taken into the Vietnam War. Once Liddy was on staff at a newspaper, he began a career of taking risks and adopting the new technology of the day, from digital cameras to drones.
Liddy spent 27 years with The News & Observer covering assignments from hurricanes in North Carolina to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the earthquake in Haiti. These experiences gave him an understanding of life’s fragility and took a toll on his personal life, but they also allowed him to enjoy a career where no day was the same as the last.
Host Frank Stasio talks with photojournalist Chuck Liddy about his around-the-world experience and his gung-ho attitude as a 40-plus-year veteran of the news industry.
Note: This program originally aired May 13, 2019.