Interview

Introduction

I decided to interview Jamie Rokus. Jamie many years of experience working in the journalism field, which is why I thought it would be helpful to first to give some insight into work she had previously done since college. Along with that, I thought it was important to layout some of what she had done to gain experience in field.

Jamie Rokus

Jamie Rokus is a journalist who attended the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, which she mentioned had a super journalism program. She majored in print journalism and minored in political science and Spanish. After her freshman year of college, she was a summer intern for the Daily Tribune, which she actually did for two more following summers. During that internship, Jamie worked as a news reporter and assisted with journalism, which is when she discovered that journalism became her true passion. Following that, she kept with journalism and worked with it in Manitowoc, Stevens Point, and Marshfield. Jamie has been working in journalism for a total of 16 years.

Interview

Q: Why/how did you decide to be a journalist?

A: Before Jamie discovered her passion for journalism, she looked into working somewhere in the field of law. However, being an intern for the Daily Tribune and gaining experience in the journalism field, she decided journalism was something she really wanted to do.

Q: What is your typical day like?

A: “There really is no typical day in journalism. If you come in the morning with a plan, it’s very likely you will not accomplish it.” Some of the tasks Jamie does is check different websites in the morning and check to make sure they aren’t missing any, log into social media to see if there are any reader comments, handles community submissions, and engages with readers.

Q: What skills do you feel are most important for your job?

A: Important skills are having knowledge of different social media platforms and how to use them to engage with the readers. Flexibility is also important because of the unpredictability of the job and working with people.

Q: Pros and cons of journalism?

A: Some of the pros of journalism are: there’s no time to be bored, it’s exciting and unpredictable, and the interaction with the customers. A couple cons would include the unpredictability and the fear of print journalism dying.

Q: What would you say is the most difficult part of being a journalist?

A: For a reporter, they don’t have predictable schedules, so if you have a family, it’s a little more difficult to balance both out. As an editor, the hours a little more predictable, which makes it easier for someone who has a family.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?

A: My favorite part of my job is the engagement with the readers and seeing the kinds of things they submit.

Q: What is the competition like competing against other journalist for a story?

A: Inside competition is pretty good within the Daily Tribune. Reporters are split into categories, so there isn’t much conflict with stories being crossed. Sometimes two people will cover one story if multiple people want to work on one. Outside competition in Wisconsin Rapids doesn’t pose a serious threat at the moment. There’s a little more competition in Stevens Point, so it’s important to stay on your toes, frequently log onto Facebook, check and recheck stories, and make sure sources are available. Morning and evening rounds, which is when a call is made to the police or fire department to see if they have any news, are important because you want to be the first one receiving that news.

Q: Since people have more opportunities to create blogs and such for news online, which many are taking advantage of; how will that affect journalism?

A: The Daily Tribune is pretty forward thinking and were able to create online sites to post news. However, it’s important to be careful where the news comes because you want accurate and correct information. I, personally, enjoy print, but online is nice because it’s instant.

Q: What risks do the journalists take in reporting a story?

A: There aren’t too many risks in Wisconsin Rapids. It’s important to have different sources, but while working on an investigative piece, you want to make sure you try not to upset your source. While working on a court case, you don’t want to post any personal information like your address or picture of your house on social media.

Q: Have you ever been put into a situation where you thought that there was any information that is “too dangerous” to print?

A: At the Daily Tribune, I haven’t come across story that was “too dangerous” to print yet.

Q: Have you ever covered a story or assignment where you felt strongly against it, and how do you handle the personal, moral, and ethical conflicts?

A: A lot of things are taken into account ethically. If a situation like that occurred, you would try to pass the story to a different reporter. For us, we don’t report names of assault victims or those who committed suicide. The only way we would cover a suicide story is if it occurred in a public place, but even if the name is released, we don’t like to identify them.

Q: Are there any types of stories you are assigned to cover that you’re most passionate about?

A: Each reporter has their own passion, and we usually let them cover the story and let them run with it. There was a story I covered about a bunch of abandoned dogs and horses, and a humane society took the dogs in, which put a strain on them. We reached out to readers to ask them to donate food and needs for those dogs, and because of that, we received around 1000 pounds of donated dog food. I liked working on that story because I like dogs.

Q: What is the most outrageous story/assignment you had to cover?

A: I’m not sure about any outrageous stories I’ve had to cover at the moment.

Q: How can a student who is interested in pursuing journalism best prepare?

A: They should try to get an internship after their freshman year, but this will be difficult because many places are looking for experience. Some people will study journalism up through junior year, and they’ll get an internship and realize they don’t enjoy journalism, so to go through three years studying that could get frustrating. It’s also important to grow thick skin because there will be times when readers will call with comments about how much they don’t like a story you covered or the way you covered it.

Q: What advice do you have for a journalist student wanting to get into the field?
A: Again, I would recommend trying to get an internship. I love my job, but it’s demanding, so it’s really important you know what you’re getting into.