John Wagner
Verified
(He/Him)
As seen in:
County News Review,
Facebook,
MSN,
The Washington Post,
Kickstarter,
Chicago Tribune,
NDTV,
Sydney Morning Herald,
Chron,
NHL.com,
The Boston Globe
and
Covers:
Anything happening in Isanti County or on the western half of Chisago County
And I do mean anything: Government, schools, sports, public works, county fair, parades ... you name it, we're interested.
Doesn't Cover:
If there is no connection to Isanti or Chisago counties, or to the cities of Cambridge, Isanti, North Branch, Rush City or Braham (and a few others), we're not particularly interested.
Community Editor for the County News Review in Cambridge, MN. Retired sports writer for The (Toledo) Blade. Certain that "Sweet Caroline" is a pox on mankind.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Creating agate for a newspaper on weekends. I did write freelance stories for another paper when I was younger, but agate was my first "job."
How is social media changing news?
It has created an urgency to present news ASAP. In the rush to be first, sometimes we lose sight of the real goal: to be correct.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I can explain, teach, inform, entertain and enlighten my readers. Sometimes, I can do all of those things in the same story.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I worked for my high school paper 2 years, and was the editor as a senior. I credit my HS newspaper for sparking my urge to write creatively.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read other newspapers, other writers ... and read books as well. It adds to your knowledge, and reading good writers improves your writing.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Behind my camera, or reading another newspaper/magazine/book.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's a 9-to-5 job. The reality is, journalism is a 24-7-365 job.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.