Kelsey Landis, 32
State affairs and politics reporter, Belleville News-democrat Belleville, Ill. Education: Depaul University, master of arts, writing, rhetoric and discourse; Southern Illinois University, bachelor of arts, English and French
What advice do you have for other young professionals in the news industry?
Be ambitious in your career but remember your audience and who you’re serving. That is, don’t write stories just because you think they’re award-winning or career-advancing. Likewise, be competitive and aggressive, but don’t base your coverage or angles on other people’s stories or plans. They’ll do their stories, and you’ll do yours. That’s why readers come to you.
Don’t write in a writerly way. Be conversational. Have a conversation with the reader through your words. Ramp up the tension as quickly as possible in the top of your story. Diversify sources in every single one of your stories, even if it means asking your editor for a deadline extension.
Pick up the phone and call. Too often we rely on emails for asking questions and receiving responses from sources, and the result is less genuine and thorough. If your readers don’t use
Twitter, don’t worry too much about popularity there. It can be an echo chamber for journalists.
What is the most interesting story you have covered?
My father’s hometown in southern Illinois, Anna, is known as one of the most racist places in the state. He left when he was young and raised us in the capital city of Springfield, but I grew up visiting family in Anna. I heard stories of it being a “sundown town,” a reputation it still holds today. But in June 2020 amid nationwide unrest following the death of George Floyd, the town saw its first Black
Lives Matter protest. I talked with a Black man who had been working in Anna for years but had never walked down Main Street until that day. It was a beautiful thing to see happen in that town, and because I have roots there, it was all the more interesting to write about.