In the middle of vast ocean of media sensationalism, one journalist paddles surely and steadily against the stream of noise to bring stories of substance.

And he’s been doing it for more than 40 years, logging more than 4 million searching the country to tell the American story.

You’ve seen his heart-touching stories on NBC’s Today Show, and in his book, “American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things,” Emmy-winning journalist Bob Dotson uncovers even more treasures.

In an era when the news excels at covering the worst in humanity, he explains how he manages to find the good — and get it on the air.

He talks about the one story that launched this path toward telling the American story. Find out how he tracked down the woman made famous in a Great Depression-era photo on the 50th anniversary of that picture and the surprising things he learned about her outlook and story.

And how does he get his interview subjects to open up? He explains how his family’s history in law enforcement helped him fine-tune his now legendary interviewing skills.