HOW I STARTEDOne year after graduating from college with a BA in History, I found myself standing on a New York City corner, covering the most historic event of our time. Two days before, the Twin Towers had fallen. Every reporter in the city was exhausted. And that is how a relatively untested intern was suddenly able to duck under the police tape, freshly pressed media tag dangling from her neck, to assist in feeding an audience never hungrier for information.
That day I went live on air for the first time to tell the story of a recovery effort in its infancy. For the next six months those stories continued: firemen who had lost brothers, children who saw devastation out their school windows, business owners forced to close their doors, and the flush-faced patriotism of a city better known for its sarcasm.
Since then I have worked in markets all over the world. I have been blessed with mentors and editors who have trusted in my abilities and pushed my reporting and writing to new levels. And I have done my best to pay it forward, coaching a new generation of journalists at every opportunity. Each moment has been an education.
But there are several lessons I still carry with me from that first trial by fire: the importance of facing a challenge with self-assurance and humility, the beauty of vox pop, and, most importantly, the critical need for creative stories that lead to enlightenment rather than fear. Even in the scariest of situations.
Radio reporters are poets. Very literal poets. We may have complex stories to tell, but our windows are ephemeral and we work without the luxury of images. Each word, each inflection, each editorial decision must be perfect. Within the first ten seconds people must care, and within one minute (or two or four) they must understand. And, oh yes, it must be done by the top of the hour.
This is the first thing I teach my students, whether their sights are set on radio or another field entirely: the need for good storytelling–thoughtful and succinct–will never go away. That applies especially here online. In comparison to radio, space on the internet may be seemingly infinite. But attention spans are not. And while it’s easy to cater to those short attention spans with screaming headlines, I ferociously insist there is a better way. And I love a good challenge.
As you look around, you may notice that I don’t sit still very well: Minnesota, New York City, Honduras, Washington, DC, New Mexico, Denmark, back to New York, back to Denmark…it can get a bit confusing, I know. If what you’re after is a nice, orderly timeline you can find my CV here.
Please have a look at some of my latest work, and find my complete CV here.