Journalism undergrad is student by day, crime reporter by night

Auburn students are accustomed to seeing star athletes on campus. But there’s one local celebrity in town they probably haven’t noticed: first-year journalism major Colin Scroggins, anchor and reporter at his own news outlet, CNAW2News.com. 

“I can’t go anywhere; if I go into Walmart, I can’t even walk five steps in the door before someone recognizes me,” he said. “It’s a good thing and a bad thing. You love having the viewers come out, but then you have the people that will stop you in your truck and tell you how bad you’re doing.” 

At 19 years old, Scroggins is already a seasoned journalist with years of experience in local news and crime reporting. Boasting 135,000 followers on Facebook, he covers Columbus, Georgia, and east central Alabama, including Auburn and Opelika. His crew, which includes a photographer, two advertising reps and a team of reporters, operates out of his studio in Columbus, but as a busy student, Scroggins works on the fly. 

“Mainly, it’s my phone, computer and police scanner,” he said. “That’s the thing with X [formerly Twitter]; it’s one of my main news sources. People following scanners post news immediately, and then it’s crazy how quick they can get it out.” 

Getting a head start 

Scroggins started covering the news in 2019, when he was 13. His first big story was the massive tornado that swept through his hometown of Smiths Station, Alabama. He reported the news by posting homemade videos on his mom’s Facebook account and his Instagram. 

Two months later, Scroggins wanted to cover the funeral procession of a slain police officer, so he asked his parents if he could create a news page on Facebook and offered to let them oversee his work. Soon, his mom was driving him to crime scenes all over the area, keeping an eye out for his safety while he developed his reporting skills. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, his Facebook page started racking up followers, and that’s when things took off. 

“It just went kind of crazy,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting it to, but my parents and my sister were always extremely supportive throughout this entire thing.”  

 A devastating loss 

In 2021, Scroggins lost his father to suicide. Sadly, it was one of many suicides that have hit the Smiths Station community over the past few years. As he was grieving, Scroggins realized his position gave him a voice to help others.  

“I felt like someone needed to turn their grief and tragedy into something that can show people they’re not alone, basically just trying to prevent further suicides,” he said. “I wanted to let people know there are people out there to help. You can fight whatever you’re going through; It’s not the end.” 

Scroggins soon began hearing from viewers who were grateful he shared the *988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. He still gets messages from people to this day. 

“There hasn’t been a single negative comment,” he said. “It’s always been, ‘thank you, you’ve saved a life,’ or ‘I’m calling these numbers right now, you helped me today.’”  

Scroggins thinks that experiencing that tragic loss makes him a better crime reporter.  

“The whole community knew my dad passed away within 20 minutes of it happening, so using how I felt during that moment has changed the way I report the news,” he said. “I’ve learned not to go up to some random person at a major scene, because they’re in their own private moment, dealing with their own loss. You can always get an interview later; the scene is just not the time or place.” 

Now an Auburn Tiger 

As a student in the College of Liberal Arts, Scroggins is applying what he’s learning in the classroom to his work.  

“I’m in Foundations of Journalism with Professor [Justin] Blankenship this semester, and I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “That class is awesome. With my career, I can use what I’m learning at Auburn in my reporting every day.”  

While some days are more challenging than others, Scroggins manages to balance his schoolwork with his reporting duties. He prioritizes submitting class assignments on time and avoids procrastination. And while he loves attending football games and hanging out with friends, most of his downtime is filled with reporting.  

“If something is going down, I write a quick story between classes and post it,” he said. “On weekends, I drive from my house to wherever the crime scene is. It’s not been too horrible; I’ve been able to manage my chaos all at once — I’m a chaos manager.” 

What’s ahead 

Scroggins is eager to learn more about the legal and ethical aspects of reporting and is excited to take a news reporting class this fall. He knows he has more to learn, but the past has taught him plenty already, and the older he gets, the more what he sees affects him. 

“When I started, I was just a kid, and I didn’t know all the world’s troubles,” he said. “My reporting has changed, for the better, I’d say. Now, it’s more important to me to report with a personal touch.” 

And while he loves working locally, Scroggins is not limiting himself when it comes to his future. 

“I don’t think I ever want to go national, because they deal with a lot of things that are not local or personal,” he said. “But while I absolutely love this area, I want to see if there’s another place out there in the world for me.”