#MediaMonday – Ellie Wolfe
Today’s Media Monday feature comes to us from Ellie Wolfe, the higher education reporter for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.
Ellie recently gave us PR folks some perspective on her newsroom and what her day-to-day looks like as a reporter during a Storytelling Strategies webinar from PRSA Southern Arizona Chapter.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in western Massachusetts, about 30 minutes from Vermont. I lived in Amherst as a child and when I was in middle school my family moved two towns over, to Northampton.
How did you get your start in writing? Tell us your story and experience.
I was lucky enough to receive two scholarships to a local prep school in my area. My mother also took a job there to offset tuition costs further. While I was there, I was able to take a journalism elective. We worked on putting out a student newspaper, The Willistonian, which had print editions every trimester and published regularly online. It is the longest continuously published high school newspaper in the country, so I loved being a part of that legacy. My first year on the paper I was named a managing editor and the next two years I served as the editor in chief. I then went to Bates College, a small liberal arts college in Maine, and worked for the Bates Student newspaper all four years, serving as a staff writer, an assistant news editor, the managing sports editor, and then my senior year, the editor in chief.
Tell us about your outlet and beat. What types of pitches are you looking for?
I write about higher education for the Arizona Daily Star, mainly covering the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. I tend to focus more on higher education issues impacting Southern Arizonans. I’m interested in any pitches about higher education issues at those two institutions, as well as pitches that focus more broadly on higher education policies. Though I don’t tend to cover Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University, I’m interested in hearing about what’s going on at those two schools, as well as what broader policies are being put in place by politicians that impact higher education in general. I’m also interested in the work being done by nonprofits in the education sphere!
What are your favorite stories to work on?
I love writing stories about changes and policies that impact employees at colleges and universities. The University of Arizona is the largest employer in Tucson, so I work hard to make sure that the stories I write are informative for the employees who read my work. It’s important to be able to communicate different policies and changes effectively.
What are some of your hobbies?
I love to read and go to the movie theater with my friends. I volunteer with Pima Animal Care Center, as well, and recently adopted a cat named Chimichanga. I’m from New England so I love getting outside and being in the sun and the warmth by going for hikes, as well!
Favorite movie? TV show? Book?
I have trouble picking “favorites” because it seems so daunting, but here are some of the recent things I’ve seen and read that I’ve enjoyed:
- The movie Poor Things
- The movie American Fiction
- The book The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The book Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter
- The book Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
- And I will admit that for TV my ultimate guilty pleasure is all things Real Housewives!
- And I’ve been loving The Traitors. I’m a big fan of reality TV.
Do you have any favorite local spots?
I moved to Tucson in October so I’m still exploring! I live downtown and walking distance to Cartel Coffee which I love. I also really like La Chaiteria, a Latin American restaurant in Menlo Park. One of my coworkers introduced me to Kimchi Time which I also really like!
What is the best way to reach you?
You can email me a pitch at: ewolfe@tucson.com, but depending on the news day I may be slow to get back to you. You should also feel free to text me at 413-695-4105!
