A television host, a rape survivor, a mother.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, WBTV evening news anchor Maureen O’Boyle made news herself a er she learned that the man who raped her 30 years ago was up for parole. Stunned and moved to action, O’Boyle started a petition on change.org to keep the man, James Starling, in prison. For the rst time, O’Boyle shared details of what happened to her on that April 1986 night in Macon, Georgia. The petition received more than 70,000 signatures, and on May 20, O’Boyle learned that Starling was denied parole. Since then, she’s been looking for ways to improve systems to notify victims of when their attackers are up for parole.
O’Boyle, a mother of one, has had a distinguished television career, working as an anchor for A Current Affair and Extra before her time at WBTV. She talked with Charlotte magazine recently about what she’s learned through the years—from being a child growing up here to her television career to the last few months. Here’s what she said, in her words (edited for clarity and space).
I was born here In Charlotte, and I’m number 8 of 10 children, seven boys and three girls. That explains everything about me. I’m loud. I don’t even realize that I’m loud and people in the newsroom will be like, “Yeah, you’re really loud.”
My father wanted the dinner table to be a time in which everybody had an opportunity to speak about their day, and carry on a conversation in a very intelligent way. So, in order to be recognized, I would have to speak clearly and tell my stories. That was just my nature—to try to be a good storyteller, so that I could get his attention.
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