Sarah Fentem, a reporter for the St. Louis Public Radio covering health, and Lauren Trager, an investigative reporter with KMOV, attended Jean Whatley’s journalism class at SLU on the 13th of February to offer students advice and answer questions about being reporters.
“If you lose sight of the fact that you have very big impact on people’s lives, you’re dead inside,” said Trager, when asked about the ethical considerations behind investigative reporting.
Further questions allowed the reporters to express their concerns with the “fake news” phenomenon, provide career advice for potential investigative journalists, and comment on what comes as baggage for journalists. Trager said her responsibilities included interviewing, writing and voicing her stories, while Fentem noted that she had to record and edit her stories herself. Both reporters highlighted the difficult nature of the industry, and that as a career interest, it may not be the best decision for students to go headfirst into journalism.
SLU Journalism Class 