A year ago, Marley Parish, Alex Weidenhof and Ellis Giacomelli had just received their diplomas from 花椒直播. They now find themselves as community journalists working for local newspapers and covering the impacts of the worldwide pandemic that is perhaps the biggest ongoing story since World War II.
All three of the 2019 graduates and former staff members of The Campus found their callings at local newspapers 鈥� Parish works for the Centre Daily Times, Weidenhof at the Cranberry Eagle, both in Pennsylvania, and Giacomelli at the Watertown Daily Times in upstate New York.
Centre Daily Times reporter Marley Parish.
鈥淭he only thing you can plan for in life is uncertainty, and the pandemic reaffirms that,鈥� Parish says. 鈥淐overing such a complex story is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I pay attention to the numbers 鈥� how many people have been tested, the number of confirmed cases, the death toll. That data, paired with personal stories, localizes a global situation and highlights how Centre County has been impacted. I鈥檝e learned more than I thought possible in nearly three months of COVID-19 coverage. It鈥檚 not easy, but I know it has and will continue to make me a better storyteller.鈥�
Adds Weidenhof: 鈥�The Campus鈥� adviser my freshman year, Cheryl Hatch, always told us that reporting is about being able to adapt. This is absolutely good practice for that. In the span of a couple of months, we鈥檝e had to change all of our beats, become health reporters, then labor reporters, then move back into our beats while still figuring out how to cover the pandemic. That鈥檚 at least something I can take away from this positively.鈥�
Although the mostly rural and suburban areas they report on have not been 鈥渉otspots鈥� for the coronavirus outbreak, the pandemic still works its way into almost every story they cover.
鈥淎s a journalist, my primary role is to inform the public through storytelling, and good storytelling demands context,鈥� Giacomelli says. 鈥淪o at this point, stories about school board budget proposals or hospital wing construction cannot be told without addressing how the COVID-19 crisis may have an impact.鈥�
鈥淪ince mid-March, I鈥檝e written perhaps a handful of stories that haven鈥檛 in some way pertained to the virus,鈥� says Weidenhof. 鈥淭he pandemic and the resulting economic impact of mitigation efforts have wormed their way into every facet of a local newspaper鈥檚 pages, from work and school closures, to health worries, to municipal governments figuring out how to prepare for the ensuing drop in tax revenue.鈥�
Cranberry Eagle reporter Alex Weidenhof.
These journalists have found their news sources and most of the general public don鈥檛 harbor hostility toward the news media.
鈥淲hen I started a year ago, I was shocked at how forthcoming and accessible most people were,鈥� Parish says. 鈥淭hat responsiveness has only grown. The media is no stranger to being vilified, but at the end of the day, we鈥檙e storytellers tasked with reporting the truth. County commissioners, public health professionals and school administrators recognize the widespread feeling of uncertainty, and most want to provide answers. Officials aren鈥檛 embarrassed to admit when they don鈥檛 have them yet.鈥�
鈥淕auging sources is a big part of being a good journalist, and it鈥檚 important to strike a balance between being sensitive to and empathetic about deeply personal stories, and advocating to sources that those stories be told,鈥� Giacomelli says. 鈥淓very source is different. Some people love to talk 鈥� about anything and everything 鈥� and others, not so much.鈥�
An Allegheny education definitely helped them navigate a new career in rapidly changing times, they say.
Watertown Daily Times reporter Ellis Giacomelli.
鈥淎llegheny鈥檚 Journalism in the Public Interest Program pushed me to honor that eagerness and develop an understanding of journalistic integrity and the essentiality of journalistic freedom in democratic systems,鈥� says Giacomelli. “The small, but powerful, team of Allegheny educators committed to the JPI program has worked tirelessly to engage students in the art, history and the profession of journalism. I chose to be part of the professional journalism world because of them, and continue to learn more every day. And The Campus showed me what a newsroom is 鈥� a collection of eccentric people, often buzzed on caffeine and always ready to tell stories.鈥�
Says Weidenhof: 鈥淎 year before this all hit, I was writing a fake article about a make-believe measles outbreak for my epidemiology final. Now, I鈥檓 writing real articles about an actual coronavirus pandemic for a newspaper. This is significantly less fun.鈥�
鈥淎llegheny taught me to attack challenges head-on, and The Campus prepared me for just about anything,鈥� says Parish. 鈥淔ormer staffers will tell you that my unofficial title as editor was 鈥榗risis manager.鈥� With computers crashing, stories falling through and technology snafus happening more often than I still care to admit, we overcame every challenge. Fortitude is the mentality I continue to live by. In the event that I forget, my office 鈥� located in a State College apartment 鈥� is decorated with framed Campus newspapers, my Allegheny diploma, and my email usually has a message from former professors who continue to encourage me from afar.鈥�