Interview with Chelsey Lewis of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I interviewed Multimedia Journalist, Chelsey Lewis of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the Professional Journalist Interview and Paper. I was particularly impressed and intrigued by her profile and felt that it provided an extra layer to the interview. For that reason, I chose to include both our Q&A section, as well as information from her profile. Her story is inspirational not only to aspiring Journalists but all graduating college students as she was able to find a job in her field right out of college. 

PROFILE

Chelsey Lewis discovered her passion for Journalism while attending UW-Madison, the university from which she graduated in 2009. During her time here she obtained a degree in both Journalism and Mass Communication as well as Spanish, and got her start as a Journalist by working for the university's Student Newspaper. Lewis gained experience through a flurry of internships including time with the Big Ten Network and Radio Disney. Upon graduation, Lewis accepted a position with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's magazine, 'Wisconsin Trails' as their Assistant Editor. She advanced her skills here for just over three years before joining the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's newsroom, where she currently works. She has gained an unmeasurable amount of knowledge and experience and was happy to share a few words of wisdom during our Q&A session.

INTERVIEW

Q: How did you get started with your career in Journalism?

A: I took a really cool magazine class in college where we got to put an entire magazine together, and that was when I realized I found my niche. From there I went on to work for my school's newspaper and did a few internships before I was hired by the Milwaukee Journal sentinel as an Assistant Editor to their outdoor magazine, 'Wisconsin Trails.'

Q: How did you advance to the job you have now?

A: Unfortunately, as technology progressed the Journal Sentinel decided to shut down the Wisconsin Trails magazine. They liked the content though so they kept the website going and I was able to head that. My official title was an Editor, but I also managed the website and our social media; it was kind of overwhelming at first because at that time social media platforms were still pretty new. After I sort of, "proved myself" so to speak, I joined the newsroom and now I'm the Multimedia Journalist.

Q: What does being a Multimedia Journalist all entail?

A: I do a lot of work for the Travel, and Entertainment sections. One section I'm particularly responsible for is "Fresh Milwaukee or Tap Milwaukee," where we find the hottest or trendiest things going on in the community and report on it.

Q: What is a typical work day like for you?

A: I guess that depends: when I'm in the office I will typically check my email, look over any PR pitches, edit some of my current stories, work on some upcoming writing assignments, research story planning for future stories, and then check/ update our social media throughout the day. When I'm doing field work however, I could be running around for an interview, filling a radio spot, self- promoting etc. Nothing is ever the same which is fun for me.

Q: How has the rise in social media changed the Journalism Industry?

A: Journalists aren't just Journalists anymore, we're really "jack of all trades" now. We have to self-promote, and have excellent digital skills. Basically, we have to get our face and names on every platform. Aside from that, we have to be able to shoot and edit our own footage because that is becoming the norm.

Q: Do you think this advance in social media and technology have created opportunities or challenges for Journalists?

A: Absolutely. I think in this case, a lot of the opportunities and challenges are synonymous though. For example, social media has provided us more platforms which means we have the potential for global reach now. With that being said, getting one story out on all of those platforms and tailoring the same story to fit each platform can be very tedious. One major opportunity we have now is the ability to gain more insight via analytics. We can see exactly which stories are getting the most views/engagement etc., who is looking at them, on which platforms and for how long. This allows us to adapt our writing and stories to better the needs and wants of the community. 

Q: Going off of that, do you feel there are any pros or cons of working in this field?

A: Of course. I love my job, I wake up every day excited to go to work and I think that alone is a pro this field offers. Something that may be both a pro and a con could be that there is always something new. Whether it is something new going on, like a story or something new to learn; every day is unpredictable which is just something you have to get acclimated to. We (the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) have partnered with Gannett now which has made our stories etc. more efficient, but it also means we have less Journalists working on stories; and to me, more heads are better than one. I think it's easier to come up with more creative content and strategize better with more people on board. My favorite pro, is when we get feedback on our stories. Positive feedback always makes us feel good and negative feedback helps us better our work for the good of the community.

Q: What do you predict for the future of Journalism?

A: Wow, that's a really broad question! I suppose as far as the industry goes, we can expect consolidation. We have already begun to see that here with our partnership with Gannett, and I would predict that will continue to happen throughout other agencies etc. as well. I think there is a possibility that we could move into more of a non-profit type of role. As Journalists, our goal is to serve the community and sometimes we don't get the best rep by doing that with a for profit business. Journalism is essential to democracy, so I would like to stay that this career isn't going anywhere but it would be ignorant to think changes will not occur. Eventually, and this is already beginning to happen, but eventually Journalists will become one man bands; finding, covering, editing and getting footage for the story all on their own. In order for Journalism to survive, I think future Journalists need to remember how important credibility is. 

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring Journalists?

A: In this day and age having multimedia skills are pretty much expected, I would say the biggest piece of advice I can offer for aspiring Journalists is to perfect their writing skills. Being a good writer is HUGE. To be a good writer though, you have to read good writing. I would suggest reading articles from the New York Times or other reputable sources. Having great writing skills in addition to being knowledgeable in digital and multimedia, will be huge advantages for aspiring Journalists. One final thing I think is important is that aspiring Journalists need to be very well adapted in many areas of expertise, but as this field advances that will become natural.