Lindsey Basye
Lindsey Basye knew she wanted to change the world before she ever stepped into a newsroom. Growing up on a farm in Michigan, the now-34-year-old made a decision in middle school that would define her career: she would tell people's stories and utilize them to spark real change.
Today, she's doing exactly that. And then some.
As Executive Producer of Investigations at Atlanta News First, the Gray Media tv station in Atlanta, Georgia, Basye leads one of the largest investigative teams in the country. Her team's work isn't just award-worthy, it's transformative. Their reporting has changed laws, returned millions of dollars to consumers, led to the arrest of corrupt officials, and helped free innocent people from prison. For Basye, that's not a résumé bullet point. It's the reason she became a journalist.
The industry has taken notice. Basye's work has earned 2 National Emmy Awards, 26 regional Emmys, a NAB Service to America Award, the prestigious duPont Columbia Award, numerous Edward R. Murrow Awards, international Telly Awards, and a shelf full of regional and local honors. But ask her, and she'll tell you the real reward is the person who got justice - not the trophy on the wall.
Four years into her role as a manager, Basye has built a reputation that reaches from the newsroom floor to the corporate level. She leads a team of professionals from all walks of life — some nearly twice her age — and has earned their respect through sharp communication skills, genuine relationships, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Her leadership style is less about authority and more about elevation: lifting every person around her.
That same philosophy extends beyond her team. As the station's internship coordinator, Basye actively develops the next generation of journalists, serving as a mentor both inside the building and out. And when she's not breaking stories? She's on the volleyball court, still competing at a high level, channeling the same drive and discipline that made her a college athlete into every aspect of her life.
Lindsey Basye is a leader, a mentor, a watchdog, and a force, proving that the most powerful stories are told by those bold enough to demand accountability.
• University of Olivet – Bachelor’s
• The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award
• 2 National Emmy Awards
• Service to America Award
• 26 SE Emmy Awards
• IRE Award 2025
• Peabody Award Finalist
• National Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative
• National Edward R. Murrow Award for Digital
• National Edward R. Murrow Award for Hard News
• National Edward R. Murrow Award for Innovation
• Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Podcast
• National Headliner Award 2025
• 3 International Telly Awards
• Multiple Georgia Association of Broadcasting Awards
• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)
• Georgia Association of Broadcasting
• Radio Television Digital News Association
• Atlanta Press Club
• NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences)
• National Association of Broadcasters
What do you attribute your success to?
I can't talk about my success without talking about the people around me. My mentors, the ones who believed in me early, my team. They are the reason I'm here. When ANF Investigates breaks a story that changes a law, returns money to families, or forces accountability where there was none, that's a win for all of us. We carry the hard days together too, and there are a lot of hard days in this business. Covering corruption, injustice, and the worst moments in people's lives takes a toll. But we do this work together. That makes all the difference.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received comes from three leaders who fundamentally shaped how I lead.
Early on, my mentor Brooks Blanton challenged me to grow every skill and understand every role. Never ask someone to do something you wouldn't do yourself. That mindset builds credibility fast and earns real respect from a team.
My current manager Kim Saxon gave me a principle I keep in front of me every day: manage reactions, not emotions. People are entitled to feel what they feel, and they should. But leadership means stepping in when those feelings turn into actions that impact others.
And my mentor and friend Josh Morgan gave me this: stand in your confidence. It doesn't mean be cocky or never admit when you're wrong. It means take in the input around you, make a decision, and own it.
Those three lessons together define how I show up as a leader every single day.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My biggest advice is to know your why. Don't enter this industry for the glamour or the title. Do it because you have something to say and people you want to fight for. Passion is what separates the ones who last from the ones who burn out. Find what drives you, hold onto it, and go all in.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge facing this industry right now is trust. Journalism is suffering from a narrative that lumps every reporter, every outlet, and every platform into one bucket called 'the media.' That's dangerous and it's inaccurate. Technically, everything on the internet is media. A social post is media. A blog is media. Grouping investigative journalists who hold the powerful accountable with everything else on the internet does a disservice to the public and to the truth. We have to keep doing the work and let the results speak.
The opportunity is that people are hungry for facts, not opinion, and they're looking for it across more platforms than ever before. That's our opening to reach them where they are and rebuild that trust one story at a time.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My dad raised me to work hard for everything you have. That stuck with me. I don't expect anything to be handed to me, in the newsroom or in life. I was raised to be independent, to figure it out, and to keep going even when it's hard. Those values show up in everything I do, from how I lead my team to how I compete on the volleyball court.
Locations
Gray Media/WANF
Atlanta, GA 30318