Carson Walker
As seen in:
South Dakota News Watch,
MSN,
Bloomberg Businessweek,
Business Insider,
Color Research & Application,
ABC News,
Le Figaro,
NBC News,
Associated Press,
SFGate,
U.S. News and World Report
and
Covers:
I lead a nonprofit news organization that pursues in-depth enterprise and investigative stories about South Dakota.
Doesn't Cover:
Issues that lack a strong South Dakota angle.
CEO of @sdnewswatch
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Part-time radio reporter in college
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, an old manual Royal that my freelance writer mom gave me and IBM Selectrics in high school and college.
How is social media changing news?
It delivers news in bits and bites that usually lack the context of history or the full picture of what's going on.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Fletch
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It's akin to public service. You give up the right to opine for the chance to tell stories that educate, entertain or evoke a response.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
#Overheardinthenewsroom captured some gems in the early days of Twitter, but it looks like its use is dwindling along with newsroom #s.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email that quickly summarizes the pitch and why it's relevant to South Dakota.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Workspace, Kindful, WordPress, MacBook Air M2 and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Anyone wondering how seemingly disparate, unchallenging jobs end up giving you experience you will need for a later, more-fulfilling role.
Why did you become a journalist?
I thought it would be fun, challenging and rewarding to tell stories, which it has been.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
We didn't have a school newspaper, but I contributed some photos and content to the local weekly newspaper that had a school section.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I broke a story as a beat reporter that revealed a credit-card company withheld $4M in unclaimed property from the state of South Dakota.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Divorce yourself of personal beliefs, treat all sides of the story fairly, check your facts and doggedly pursue the truth.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Afternoons
What's the best pitch you ever got?
How to help an overweight pet lose weight. The photojournalist put his video camera on the ground as a heavyset beagle meandered by.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A government agency once faxed out a massive pro-environmentalism story pitch that was irrelevant and wasted reams of paper.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Visiting my adult children, traveling, running or cycling on the bike path, hiking, cross-country or downhill skilling or playing golf.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Axios
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I'm new to the role of CEO, so ask me in a year.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.