Rhoda Young, the people’s newscaster, reflects on 5 years of ‘reporting live’

From filming through the back of an ambulance at the scene of a car crash to an intimate interview with a homeless woman outside the van she lives in, amateur newscaster Rhoda Young broadcasts raw, unedited stories she captures in real time with her cellphone.

It’s been five years since an expletive-laden newscast made Young a Hampton Roads social media star, “Rhoda Young Reporting Live” — the Facebook page where she livestreams — has more than 400,000 followers.

The 50-year-old Virginia Beach resident, who previously worked in transportation, said she works to make an impact through community-based stories that mainstream media outlets typically don’t report. While many in the community love her approach, her jokes and colorful commentary haven’t always endeared her to local government leaders on whom she sometimes reports.

Young said she thinks city leaders dislike her because she isn’t afraid to “put pressure” on them by asking “the hard questions.” She noted the combination of her bubbly personality and the fact she “likes to clown,” recently got her into trouble with the city of Newport News.

Young was handed a letter Aug. 9 stating her access to Newport News City Hall was limited to attending public meetings and pre-scheduled appointments. The letter, written by the city’s Security Services Division, accused Young of “disruptive behavior towards city employees” and using profane language.

Young, who has no professional journalism experience, said she learned her rights over the years by “trial and error” and aims to engage community members in local government via social media in an effort to “show them how to use their voice.”

“It is about educating people. You should know your rights, know what people are allowed to do to you,” Young said.

In recent years, Young has tried to present herself more professionally as she covers certain events after she says she was “treated differently” by officials.

“At one time, I would just run up and say whatever I wanted,” Young said. “But I don’t want to be called ‘the ghetto news reporter’ anymore.”

‘Just a woman with a cellphone’

On a typical day, Young can venture from Virginia Beach through the tunnel to Hampton and down to Portsmouth — all before 3 p.m. But her days frequently start in the wee hours as tips from followers trickle into her inbox.

“People trust me with their stories to let their voice be heard,” Young said.

One thing she won’t cover — homicides.

“I don’t like to put that negativity out there,” Young said.

The handheld shaky videos she shares capture the initial confusion and chaos of news, all narrated by Young as she casually approaches first responders and bystanders to gather information. Taking on the role of watchdog, Young also tackles human interest stories, filmed from a tripod she totes to interviews, and allows speakers to share their concerns as she highlights greater impacts on the community.

“Rhoda gets results. She gets the word out,” said one Hampton woman during a live stream Aug. 18.

The woman, a fan who said she has followed Young’s Facebook page for years, reached out to Young after meeting Katrina Ryan, a Maryland mother who drove to Hampton in search of her 6-year-old child.

“I needed a physical being, and Rhoda is that being. She is out here getting the job done and caring — doing it from the heart,” said Ryan, who felt family services and police had hit a dead-end in trying to track down her son and estranged partner. “Her actions speak louder than any words. She is a true trouper for the people.”

Volunteer groups have since reached out to Ryan since she appeared on Young’s show to assist in locating her child.

“I am just a woman with a cellphone,” Young said as she perched her phone atop a tripod before a recent interview.

Before her pivot to news, Young initially launched a cooking channel in 2015 on Facebook under the title “Hot Mess — food edition.” Those videos can still be found on her page nestled between government meetings and interviews that have since taken over her life.

Thus far, the work that goes into Young’s media empire has been a labor of love, not money — but not for lack of trying. While Young’s page is monetized and features advertisements for services, she said Facebook has yet to release the funds to her bank account.

“I can see the money, but I can’t access it. I pay for everything out my own pocket,” said Young, adding it’s been an ongoing issue she’s been unable to get Facebook to address.

Clashes with local government

While Young has gained popularity among Hampton Roads residents, interactions with lawmakers have at times been tense. Rather than observe and report, Young’s style of newscast sometimes pits her against elected officials at council meetings, where she will film herself as she speaks at open meetings or criticizes local leaders.

“I love y’all but I am going to attack your job because y’all chose to sit in those seats,” Young told Norfolk City Council members during a March 22 meeting she livestreamed to Facebook.

During her allotted three minutes of speaking time, Young criticized city leaders for “voting against Black people” in their handling of a fatal shooting at a downtown nightclub that left three dead, as well as the city’s decision to re-zone a historic Norfolk church to be used as luxury apartments in a predominantly Black neighborhood.

“I also want to tell y’all to tone down the smell when y’all cremating bodies,” Young quipped, referencing Mayor Kenny Alexander and Councilman Paul Riddick’s funeral home businesses. Her concluding comment elicited claps from residents at the meeting.

A Norfolk spokesperson recently declined to comment on the city’s interactions with Young.

Young said she’s also been excluded from media events, including a police news conference earlier this year regarding missing 4-year-old Codi Bigsby, because she did not have media credentials.

“I feel they don’t respect me as the media,” Young said. “I never know I will be allowed in and what I am not allowed in, depending on how serious the press conference is.”

Young said she has been banned from businesses, such as Walmart, for filming in the parking lots. She admits she often cusses “because that is just how I talk.” But, before August, she had never been restricted from accessing a government building like in Newport News.

Young is currently reviewing legal options to appeal her limited access to Newport News City Hall, and says she will consider returning to cover Newport News city council meetings.

“I am not going to allow them to bully me away,” Young said. “They want to silence my voice, but I am not going to allow that to happen.”

Young said her news reports enable her to fight for people. She cited her interactions with tenants when she visited the condemned Seaview Loft Apartments as one example. She stopped to interview tenants facing homelessness and discovered residents from a nearby apartment building who claimed to have a bedbug infestation.

“I am helping Seaview Loft and people from around the corner are coming up saying, ‘We need you. We need mattresses.’ I bought bedbug spray and food for them,” Young said, adding that she also helped arrange a mattress donation for some of the residents.

Despite being discouraged, Young said she will continue to live stream other city meetings and community interest stories across Hampton Roads.

“It is not about me no more. It’s about the people. I have found out that people are out here hurting,” Young said. “I can’t fix your problem, but I can show you how to fix your problem.”

Caitlyn Burchett, 727-267-6059, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com