Start Here / Never Stop Podcast: David Zucchino ’73

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Zucchino ’73 joined Dean Susan King to discuss his remarkable career as a reporter, his attachment to UNC Hussman and his acclaimed new book “Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy.” Zucchino visited UNC Hussman in February to deliver the Nelson Benton Lecture — read more on his day at the school here.

Zucchino is a UNC Hussman alumnus, former lecturer at the school and inductee of the North Carolina Media & Journalism Hall of Fame. Now a contributing writer at The New York Times, he has covered wars and civil conflicts in more than three dozen countries and is a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for his reporting in Iraq, Lebanon, Africa and inner-city Philadelphia. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his dispatches from apartheid South Africa.

Zucchino spoke with King about his research process — including hours studying Carolina’s history — for “Wilmington’s Lie.” The book tells the little-known story of the Wilmington coup of 1898, in which white supremacists used a campaign of rallies, race-baiting editorials and newspaper cartoons and fabricated news stories to raise tensions and win control of the state legislature in November of 1898. Days later, their supporters kicked off a violent sweep of Wilmington, leaving at least 60 dead in the streets. Zucchino weaves together individual stories and accounts in what The New York Times calls a “brilliant” and “heart-wrenching” account of the violence. King also asked Zucchino about his days as a foreign correspondent in Afghanistan, where he  spent 18 years, including long trips embedded with American troops. He reflected on the war and the path forward for the Afghan people.

Zucchino also discussed the changes at UNC Hussman since his time. He praised the school’s focus on UNC’s “global guarantee” to provide students with opportunities to gain global perspectives. Listen below to hear Zucchino’s reflections on North Carolina history, today’s students and his biggest regret from his time at UNC.