I recently wrapped up my first year writing for a newspaper.
I want to start by saying that my former editor was honest when she approached me for this job. She informed me that the pay wasn’t great, the hours could get long, and that the work was not glamorous.
Given my background in Communications, I still thought I’d give it a try.
I mean, I knew all about the mechanics of how to write for a newspaper. I also understood how the media worked, as I had spent time working on the PR side of things myself, but nothing could have prepared me for the adventure to come.
I jumped into some big topics, like housing and government, telling my neighbors’ stories alongside those that were broadcast in Frankfort.
I was like a kid in a candy store, spending my days answering questions I had ruminated on for a long time. I wanted to know how things worked, who answered to whom, and what the people of Madison County thought about the issues.
You know, one of my three first-place wins actually came from an article I wrote about the housing crisis in Madison County. It was my first time writing about housing, and I was hooked. People aren’t pleased with the prices or availability of quality rentals. There is an ongoing problem with tenants understanding their rights. What even are tenants’ rights? There are people who are here to help. I put all of that together to show people that they weren’t alone in their housing struggles.
Another winning article actually came from ongoing storm coverage, where I crouched over my laptop at odd hours while my awesome coworker and two-time Journalist of the Year, Nathan Hutchinson, went out to collect photos and videos from around the county. He was clearly the real MVP in that situation, but I was also very proud of the fact that I got a firsthand account of the storm at approximately midnight.
I also wrote about a local official, Berea’s former police chief, who repeatedly utilized a city credit card on Amazon, even after he had received a performance review early in his tenure that encouraged him to seek further counsel on city finances. I created and organized spreadsheets to keep track of the numerous online purchases, totaling approximately $10,000 over 2.5 years, because I knew it was the right thing to do.
However, my first year wasn’t all rainbows and colored gel pens. It gave me time to work out some kinks in my work.
For example, my leads (really) sucked for a while, I’d never completed a FOIA request, and I wasn’t entirely confident in my ability to tell a story in a news format.
You know what, though? I never missed an opportunity to get better.
I spent long hours in the office, learning from my editor’s notes, and applied what I learned to my next story. I welcomed any and all feedback.
In my interviews, I spoke to people in a way that let them know that I was a safe person and that I felt like their thoughts were important.
I consistently worked to cover topics and community events that mattered to diverse populations. We even had drag queens on the cover of the newspaper for the first time, which was an excellent moment for the local queer community to see that they were newsworthy and open at a time of year that wasn’t Pride.
That’s why I was so happy when I won seven awards from the Kentucky Press Association this year, including those aforementioned first-place awards for Best Breaking News Coverage, Best Feature Photo, and Best Enterprise or Analytical Story.
I honestly felt like I earned something for the amazing people of Madison County who let me into their homes, eat food at their events, and call them up at all hours. ❤️ I hope y’all felt just as much joy as I have this year.
I could hardly contain my excitement as I sat at my table in Bowling Green. Looking at the presentation screen, I proudly thought, “This was only my first year writing for a newspaper.”
I can’t wait to see what the future holds. ☀️
Click here to see the Richmond Register article about the KPA competition.