Danae King, 29

Immigration and Religion Reporter/columbus Storytellers Project Coordinator, The Columbus Dispatch Education: Bowling Green State University, bachelor of science in journalism

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the news industry?

It can be easy to get lost in the daily chaos of journalism and breaking news, but it’s essential to make sure you don’t let opportunities for big stories pass you by. Always be looking out for something you can delve deeper into, explain more to readers or put a face on.

Work hard to carve out time in your day to work on those bigger projects, even when it seems impossible. A quick call here or there or shooting off some emails for a deeper story at the end of a long day working on breaking news can make more of a difference than you think. You are your biggest advocate, so make sure you stand up for yourself and fight for the stories you believe in.

What is the most interesting story you have covered?

I spent years reporting on priest sexual abuse of minors in the local diocese through a series called “Catholic Secrecy.” During my time reporting, I spent hours in the library of a local seminary, tracking the assignments of accused priests and putting them into a database for readers to use to see if their parish ever hosted an accused priest. I also spent months writing updates as Catholic Diocese of Columbus officials announced accused priests and changed their practices to be more survivor-friendly. Then, last spring, I got the chance to write the most interesting story of all: that of a local priest sexual abuse survivor. A 39-year-old was rediscovering his memories of abuse after years spent suffering from PTSD. He allowed me and a photographer and videographer to chronicle his life for months as he worked to confront his demons, heal and try to help other survivors.