Hi, I’m Paris Flannigan — a hungry, driven, passionate, and fearless storyteller. I was born in Houston, Texas, but raised in the small country town of Lawtell, Louisiana — the kind of place where you can hear cows mooing in the distance and spot chickens crossing a two-lane highway at noon. I have to ask my neighbors if those are edible one day.  

 

Growing up, I never imagined I’d one day be the girl on the TV screen. That dream didn’t take shape until college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where I originally thought I’d become a police officer (yes, really — that was the plan, lol. I wanted to solve murders and catch the killer).

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But everything changed in 2016, just weeks after graduation, when I got my first shot in the news business. From that moment on, I was hooked — and I haven’t looked back since. This work is more than a job to me. It’s a calling. Storytelling is in my blood. It challenges me, inspires me, and most importantly, connects me to the people around me. The stories I get to tell are often raw, powerful, and touching to the soul — and I consider it a privilege to share them.

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What gets me out of bed every morning? The unknown. The thrill of a new story. The people I’ll meet along the way.

My name is Paris Flannigan, and I’m a passionate journalist with a heart for storytelling—especially the kind that makes your pulse race or brings tears to your eyes. Journalism, for me, is a love-hate relationship but in the end it's awarding to the soul. 

 

There are days when the weight of it makes me want to quit—and days when I know, without a doubt, I was born to do this.

​This career demands courage, resilience, faith, and confidence. It’s not for the faint of heart. You don’t just choose journalism—it chooses you.

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I didn’t always know this was my path. I started behind the camera, drawn to the power of visual storytelling. Being on camera didn’t come naturally at first—but I put in the work, found my voice, and five years later, I’m still here… chasing the stories that matter.

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What a journey it's been. One day, I’m a beekeeper. The next, a firefighter. After that, a storm chaser. At the heart of it all, I’m a storyteller and a voice for my community—the one who asks the tough questions when no one else will, who stands in the storm to deliver life-saving information or simply offers a listening ear.

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I launched my news career in 2016 at KLAF News 15 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Since then, I’ve built my storytelling foundation through hands-on experience at WBRZ in Baton Rouge and KATC TV 3 in Lafayette, wearing multiple hats as a photographer and multimedia journalist. Each challenge has shaped me into a tenacious, dependable, and memorable reporter with a deep sense of purpose.

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My dream is to work with the greats in a news market that is right for me. We all have dreams of going high, but my dream is to find the purpose.

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Some of my most impactful reporting includes:

• Being the only reporter to get an exclusive inside look into the St.Landry Parish jail where there inmates escaped in 2025. 

• Breaking the story of LSU basketball player Wayde Sims’ murder after securing exclusive video footage from a trusted source 

• Investigating a scandal involving the Opelousas Police Chief and a workplace affair turned shooting.

• First and only reporter on the scene when a Louisiana State Trooper was struck by a vehicle while responding to a crash

• Being the first reporter on the scene of a train that hit a pedestrian. 

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Beyond hard news, I pride myself on building community trust and telling stories that drive real-world impact and change. When a tornado destroyed a man’s generational family home in Opelousas, my story led to a one-on-one meeting between him and the parish president to discuss recovery efforts. That’s the kind of journalism I strive to do—work that moves people to act.

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I chase the stories that matter—from the one-year-old girl who received a life-saving heart transplant, to the mother who never gave up searching for her missing son. These stories aren’t just headlines—they’re lived experiences that deserve to be told with care and integrity.

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Some say local news is dying. I disagree. If we continue to listen, reflect, and serve our communities, this industry won’t just survive—it will thrive. Journalism is both a calling and a responsibility, and I take that seriously.

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​INSPIRATIONS 

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I draw inspiration from journalist like ABC13’s Lileana Pearson, Alex Bozarjian, and Mycah Hatfield, KATC’s Brooke Williams, and KHOU 11’s Mia Gradney—all of whom exemplify what it means to lead with purpose in journalism.

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