Massachusetts reporter goes viral during story about “New Hampsha”

Boston accent

If you grow up in New England, you probably have some sort of accent. There are countless articles about the Maine accent and the difficulty some tourists have understanding it (and we’re talking a strict accent here, not even local terminology).

If you grew up in the Merrimack Valley region of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, you’ve probably had a Boston accent or something similar your entire life.

The sexiest accents in the USA

Which actually brings me to a good point, because according to Enjoy Travel, we are insanely sexy, buddy.

In their list of the “Top 50 Sexiest Accents in the USA,” New England took two of the top five spots, with the Maine accent coming in at number 4 and the Boston accent narrowly missing out on the top spot at number 2.

And as someone who has traveled extensively, I can definitely confirm that other areas of the country (except the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) Love the Northern New England accent (actually any combination of the Maine and Boston accents.)

If you drop an “R,” they basically let their defenses down. At least, that’s what I observed during my vacations in Nashville, Tennessee and my several-year stay in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This is especially good for New Englanders looking to enter the media industry.

22NEWS Ellen Fleming

Ellen Fleming is the former State House reporter for WWLP/22NEWS in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Prior to that, she worked as a producer for Channel 5 in Boston, and all of her credits to date have come from some media company or business in Massachusetts. Add to that the fact that she attended Endicott College, and her roots in the Massachusetts/Boston area run deep.

This makes the slip-up she made in February 2023 while reporting from the Hall of Valor in the Massachusetts State House entirely understandable. Because no matter how hard you try to drop the Maine or Boston accent and actually pronounce the “R,” sometimes the “R” still falls out.

Like New Hampshire.

For me, the realization at the end is the funniest part.