(Editor’s note: This article is part of a new weekly series featuring Columbus Dispatch journalists and their work in our community.)
The adage “all politics is local” easily applies to our industry. That means all news is local.
Because while my younger self may have dreamed of reporting on dramatic events in Washington or Europe, I realize more and more that there are wonderful and important stories happening here that deserve our attention. I learned.
As one of The Dispatch’s local news and business editors, I love finding stories to share across central Ohio.
How did I get into journalism?
Looking back, it’s interesting to see how connected I was to the local news scene from an early age. I delivered the weekly Worthington newspaper when I was 9 years old (is that still legal today?). After moving to Plain City Middle School, I started a newsletter and wrote several articles for Jonathan Alder’s Pioneer Press (don’t search for them) for those clippings. )
In fact, when I was younger I dreamed of becoming a sportscaster. I went out of my way to search the phone book and call someone with the same last name as a local expert in order to contact them for a school project. I quickly realized that sports journalism required working every night and every weekend, and I became interested in covering local news.
After high school, I attended the University of Dayton, but felt I needed to spend more money on college, so I went to graduate school at Northwestern University. Both experiences shaped me as a person and as a journalist. For example, at Northwestern University, I spent one quarter in Washington starting in September 2001. Covering the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, including touring the Pentagon, which was still in rubble, was an experience I will never forget.
What kind of story sticks in your mind?
I started out as a professional writer covering local government and politics in Chillicothe, writing a story about the police chief approving his own overtime. I then moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana to also cover local government and politics. So an article about the city’s failure to name long-time former Mayor Harry Burrus’ new City Hall managed to go “viral,” despite its underwhelming content. . Fan favorites voted online. This reminded me of a campaign to call the local hockey team the Mad Cows. Honestly, that would have been pretty awesome.
More importantly, I covered a mayoral candidate who was ultimately indicted for failing to properly report campaign contributions, allowing Democrats to win seats in a deeply conservative area. That’s true. He held the seat for multiple terms, proving the importance of every election.
Upon returning to central Ohio, he helped lead statewide reporting for many of the state’s smaller dailies, before taking over direct direction of the Newark Advocate and Marion Star for several years. I did. So we looked at the impact of the opioid epidemic and the challenges the pandemic has posed across the state.
This experience drove home the importance of local journalism and making sure people are informed about what local officials are doing and the good things happening in their communities. I believe journalism is at its best when it gives a voice to the voiceless and holds those in power accountable.
what do you do when you’re not working
My wife and I live in Westerville, where much of our time is spent transporting our two teenage children to and from their extracurricular activities. Outside of my family, I enjoy cycling and have participated in several Pelotonia rides. I don’t often get yelled at at work, so I also referee club and high school soccer.
I wear Hawaiian shirts, enjoy dad jokes, and am an irrational fan of Columbus Crew and Dayton Flyers basketball. Both make up probably 90% of my social media posts. If I could change one social norm, it would be to make napping an acceptable habit.
Most importantly, people often ask how they get our articles, and the simple answer is from you, our readers. If you have tips you’d like to share, feel free to contact us at blanka@dispatch.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
