For Media Monday this week, we’d like you to meet Reagan Jackson, Seattle-based writer and regular contributor to the Seattle Globalist.
- How did you find yourself as a writer and journalist?
I’ve always been a writer. As a kid I really loved reading so that’s what hooked me. I took a journalism class in high school, but never wrote for the school paper or really saw myself as a journalist until years later. I found my voice as a columnist for the Seattle Globalist. Because I had the opportunity to cover the communities and issues I was most interested in, I realized that there was a place for my perspective and my way of covering a story. I had a lot of freedom to figure out the kind of journalist I wanted to be, but also a lot of support to grow my skills and figure how to report with heart and integrity.
2. Which of your stories are you most proud of?
http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2014/12/26/black-lives-matter-at-a-crossroads/31797
http://features.crosscut.com/making-a-burlesque-dancer
http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2014/07/03/crime-rainier-beach-safety-seattle/27281
3. What is your favorite thing about your job?
I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. I also like getting to go to cool events for free.
4. What is your interview style?
I like to record everything on my phone so that I am not consumed with note taking, but I also take notes. I like to research the people I interview and prepare a series of questions in advance, but I usually end up asking off the cuff questions based on things they say. I am a very good listener. I try not to interrupt and I always transcribe the full interview even when it takes forever because I don’t want to miss a word.
5. What do you look for in a story?
I only write about things that interest me. It is one of privileges of being freelance. Good stories often provide a counter narrative or some new information that hasn’t been covered before. I like stories with moral dilemmas or ideas that force me to see old issues in a new light. I am also a sucker for feel good innovative stories about people who took their traumas and challenges and turned them into opportunities.
6. What is your day like at your job?
I work for a non-profit, so my day is jam packed with meetings, but often through meetings and conversations with kids and colleagues I get ideas for stories. When I’m working on an article, I have to carve out time. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of lunchtime interviews.
7. Who do you most look up to in the journalism industry?
I really loved Melissa Harris Perry and I’m sad that MSNBC didn’t work out. I also think Rachel Maddow is brilliant. Heben and Tracy from the Buzzed Podcast Another Round have also really captured my attention because they really mix up their content and they always have great conversations.
8. What is your favorite news outlet?
The Seattle Globalist!
9. Fill in the blank:
- If I am not reporting, I am…working as the Program Manager for Young Women Empowered, teaching writing, at a protest rally, at the Spa, or at the bar with friends and family.
- If I could interview anyone, it would be…Malala. She really inspires me.
- My favorite thing about Seattle is…that it feels like home.
10. What is your guilty pleasure?
YA fiction novels, Dominican Rum, and deep tissue massage. Did I mention dark chocolate covered ginger and lavender truffles?