When Lamenuel Scales headed out into the snow near his Clermont County home to film a video of a live weather report (clad in a costume wig), he had no idea what was in store for him. What began as an Instagram comedy channel has evolved into the news reporter persona that Cincinnatians see online today: Hood News 75.
While Scales still delivers a healthy dose of comedy, he also reports on serious events around the city: house fires, landlord disputes, car accidents—you name it. For him, it’s all about striking a balance between the funny and the serious while informing his community.
Scales has made a name for himself online, and even within the community of local television news reporters. As of press time, his TikTok has accumulated more than 195,000 followers, Facebook more than 180,000, and Instagram more than 119,000. Each video, whether a news report or a funny skit, racks up tens of thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands, of views. Still, he wants to go bigger, and in doing so, he may just represent a new form of journalism—social media style…