#MediaMonday – Isabella Loy
It’s time for another #MediaMonday! This week’s feature comes from our Public Relations Global Network partner in Seattle, Fearey. The agency recently caught up with Isabella Loy of Washington’s Anacortes American and Stanwood Camano News for its Meet the Media blog series.
Loy shared with Fearey makes a story matter to a local newsroom and reporter, how PR pros can make a pitch more relevant and why she still sees a strong appetite for local news in the communities she serves.
Read a few highlights from the conversation below and check out the full post from Fearey here.
Briefly share the path to your current career — why journalism?
I have always loved to read and write. So, when I got to community college and was thinking about my career path, I decided to take a Journalism 101 class. That class showed me how important journalism is and the impact it can have on a community. I soon became the editor of that community college’s paper, and after I got my AA degree, I transferred to Western Washington University. There, I majored in news/editorial journalism and worked on several student publications.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
My favorite thing about my job is how collaborative it is, how many people I get to speak to, and how many topics I get to learn about. In any given week, I might read stories on everything from local government to schools to fire districts to local features and more. It’s always new and interesting, and no two days look the same.
What do you look for in a story?
In the newsrooms I manage now, I mostly look for local relevance. I ask: “Why do people here care? How does it affect them? Why should they know about it?” I believe that the most important stories to tell are the ones going on directly in people’s backyards.
What is something unexpected that you have learned during your career?
Working in small newsrooms helped me see how many people still truly value the news and local reporting. I was surprised by how many community members would tell me how much they appreciated the paper and my reporting. Many may say people don’t read local news anymore, but I don’t think that’s true. I think people just get their information in a variety of ways these days.
