On Background: Gordon Rago, our growth and development beat reporter
This mini Q&A vignette is a part of an going series called “On Background” to reacquaint readers with the team of journalists working in our newsroom. Responses edited for clarity.
Gordon Rago is a business reporter covering growth and development for the Charlotte Observer. Gordon joined the newspaper in 2021 after working with the Virginian-Pilot, in Norfolk, Virginia. Previously, he worked at the York Daily Record, in Pennsylvania, covering crime and breaking news.
Gordon started his newspaper career in Wallace, Idaho — a town with roughly 800 people — and famous for its silver mining history and it being the Center of the Universe, as proclaimed by the town’s mayor in 2004. Wallace was also the film location for Dante’s Peak starring Pierce Brosnan.
While at the Pilot, he was a general assignment reporter and also covered the Port of Virginia, which is one of the largest container ports on the East Coast. In February 2019, Gordon was the first reporter to confirm that a photo of a man in blackface appeared on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page.
Gordon has won numerous awards over his decade-long career, including a few from the Virginia Press Association.
How did you get into journalism?
I grew up around newspapers. A copy of The New York Times was always floating around our kitchen when I was a kid. Both my parents are former newspaper reporters and I always loved writing so I guess you can say it’s in the blood.
What excites you about this field?
I enjoy meeting new people, learning about new communities and tackling complex issues.
What is the most interesting aspect of your beat/job?
That beat can mean a lot of things and I enjoy that I can mix up my coverage from writing about the moving of an historic home in Cornelius to a new tower going up in South End.
Words of wisdom you’ve received?
Be fluid and flexible. Put in the work. Find the universal in the particular.
Proud life moments? Something you’d like to improve?
Some of my proudest moments in journalism go back years to when I covered breaking news and gained access to places I probably shouldn’t have gained access to or where others didn’t try. That included riding an ATV with a stranger to get a better vantage point of a boat accident in Pennsylvania. I try to take that mentality with me in my career now.
Fun fact about you?
I love fly fishing. So if you know of any good spots close to Charlotte, hit me up.
