Sit down with me for an interview for a second, will you? I will ask you questions about you and what the story is about, but the biggest thing is I will listen. This is your story to tell, not mine. I’m simply here to write it.
That’s how I approach my interviews because it is always more than an interview. That story I want to write is a part of someone’s life.
College has taught me that every single person has their own story to tell. My time at The Daily Utah Chronicle has reaffirmed to me that journalists have the power to make change; they have the power to change peoples lives for the better.
The first story I wrote for the Chrony was about graduate students who were being priced out of housing. What people didn’t see was me sitting down in a playground talking to a mom while her kids played, me interviewing a husband and wife for over an hour, me trying to figure out how I could do their story justice.
Journalists have people’s lives at their fingertips and it’s up to them what they do with it. I hope to always respect it, to always do right by people and share the truth.
There have been interviews that have ended in tears, smiles and hugs. The rollercoaster of emotions that go into a story is so much more than a reader ever sees, but that is the beauty of journalism. That is the beauty of being a journalist.
When I decided that I wanted to be a journalist I knew I wanted to help people. Slowly that began to transition into wanting to highlight the truths of people that wouldn’t otherwise be seen. Being on the investigative desk has allowed me to take a deeper look into things that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do.
I’ll be honest, it has not always been easy, and actually at points it has been extremely difficult. You could imagine how hard it is when you have multiple people telling you something horrible happened to them, and yet the people you need to admit to it just don’t. This taught me, though, how I can make a difference. Journalism gives people the opportunity to hold others accountable.
I know that my article alone won’t solve the problem, but I’ve learned that it does have the power to make change. There have been moments where I have uncovered things that should have never happened, and I was only able to do that because someone felt comfortable enough to talk to me. When one person feels comfortable enough to speak out more will follow, I truly believe that.
Think of it like lighting a candle in a dark room and passing the flame to the person next to you, all of a sudden the room is filled with light. This is what happens when people share their stories, the darkness becomes a little bit brighter — people can see the truth.
This is why I believe it is always more than an interview.
So as I prepare to leave the University of Utah and the Chronicle I encourage you all to never forget that someone cares. Someone cares about your story and there is always space for you. College has shown me that my story matters a lot more than I thought I did, because some of what I have gone through others have too. Everything we go through, good and bad, makes us who we are.
When choosing what stories I wanted to write, I discovered I leaned towards writing things that were hard to cover, but I stand on the belief that sometimes those are the people that get overlooked. I want to thank those who felt they could talk to me, those who trusted me to do their stories justice. The lessons I have learned at the Chrony will follow me into my career, but will stick with me in my life.
It was always more than just a byline for me. I always hoped that something I wrote would touch somebody, even if it was only one person. I don’t have any inspirational quote to leave you with, simply a million and one thank you’s to all the people that have helped me get to this point. The way I approach journalism and my life will always be different because of you.
