Emily Sweeney's Globe video report sparks online discussion | Starting Point

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Can I share a secret?

When I was younger, I wanted to be someone who was behind a microphone or in front of a camera. I dreamed of hosting my own TV or radio show.

But then, reality set in. ​The people I saw on TV were nothing like me. As a tomboy from Dorchester, a total Dot Rat at heart, I didn’t see where I would ever fit in.

I didn’t look or sound like a news anchor. And I certainly didn’t want to dress like one.

So I set those ambitions aside and just concentrated on doing good journalism.

Over the years that I’ve worked at the Globe, I’ve always jumped at the chance to work on videos. Whenever I had an opportunity to be on camera, I gladly took it, and cherished every moment.

Such was the case last Tuesday, when I was asked to do a video about a story I was working on: a mansion in Beverly that had been robbed.

I happily agreed, and my colleague Raphael Chinca, one of the Globe’s Emmy Award-winning multimedia producers, set up a camera in the newsroom and filmed me talking about the robbery. The video was posted on social media, and by the next day, it had been viewed over a million times.

Comments — about my voice, and how I pronounced certain words, and how I was wearing an Adidas track jacket while delivering a serious news report — were pouring in. And they haven’t stopped.

I had no idea that my Boston accent and choice of fashion would spark so much discussion online. Honestly, I was shocked ... by both the sheer volume of comments, and how overwhelmingly positive they’ve been.

Lots of people commented that my voice reminded them of home. Others said my casual demeanor made it feel like they were listening to a friend telling them a story.

Many people messaged me privately, saying that they had given up on the news and no longer trusted mainstream media, but they felt like they could trust me.

I was so happy to hear that. It’s given me a lot of hope, and it’s making me realize that there could be a place for this Dot Rat after all.

I hope to continue to do more video reports for the Globe, and I hope you’ll join me by following our social media accounts.

TikTok: @BostonGlobe and @emily_sweeney22

Instagram: @BostonGlobe and @emilysweeney22

🧩 1 Down: Identical |🌥 49° Chill

Special considerations: The Boston School Committee’s proposed budget cuts could eliminate over 100 classroom aides, stoking fears that special education students could be hard hit.

All roads lead to Foxborough: The World Cup is expected to bring floods of visitors to the region this summer, which means plenty of clamoring for transportation. Already eyeing this potential cash cow: Cabbies, rideshare drivers, and parking-lot owners.

Why pay more? Mass. residents have the costliest electricity bills in the lower 48. But a quirk in local regulations means people living just 10 miles apart can have vastly different utility costs.

Motherhood matters: Despite boasting world-class medical care, severe maternal complications are 16 percent higher for births in Mass. than the national average.

‘Such a positive force in the community’: Ann Carter, a communications adviser to the Boston Archdiocese and Vatican, has died. She was 69.

Just hang a left at the first moon: Artemis II is scheduled to make its lunar loop today and head for home, but not without breaking the record for farthest human space travel.

‘It is extraordinary here’: A Q&A with Celtics owner Bill Chisholm on his first season leading the C’s, the stability provided by his GM and coach, and Jayson Tatum’s recovery.

By Curt Woodward

🌱 Harsh consequences: A federal ban on unregulated high-potency hemp products could wipe out the legitimate side of hemp agriculture, farmers warn.

💌 Let’s get real: Don’t drag out the social-media-mediated warm-up period before actually going on dates, Meredith advises in Love Letters.

📺 Close to home: Watching the HBO docuseries “Neighbors” has our writer thinking about his own (very light) friction on the homefront. Plus, a euphoric lookahead to this week’s TV.

🥕 Super suspect: The latest health craze — “superfood” powders that promise easy health boosts — are light on evidence, nutritionists warn.

🐥 Peep-poll people: More than 160 of you responded to our poll on Peep preferences. Currently, the tally sits at 65 percent-35 percent in favor of Peeps, which must be some kind of mistake (sorry). Comments range from “Ooey, gooey goodness” to “Almost as bad as circus peanuts.”

Thanks for reading Starting Point.

This newsletter was edited by Curt Woodward and produced by Ryan Orlecki.

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Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. @emilysweeney22.