Kevin Smith
- Executive Director, Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism
Ohio
As seen in:
The New York Times,
The Daily Mirror,
The Independent (UK),
The Washington Post,
WIRED Magazine,
People,
The Mercury News,
ComicBook,
Cleveland.com,
Radio-Canada
and
Covers:
press rights, news management, ethics
Doesn't Cover:
data wrangling, html coding
Executive Director @KipProgram @ohiou worldwide media ethics consultant/trainer past 30 yrs. Fulbright specialist, professor.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Sports editor of small 5-day-week paper. Also had to be chief photo and wire editor, which wasn't part of the original plan.
How is social media changing news?
For the better and worse. I'm constantly dealing with fallout from lack of media ethics, mostly centering on social media.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It's an enormous honor in a democracy to be someone whose job it is to responsibly inform the public, create accountability.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
At Kip we train with a lot of digital software and social apps so it's helpful to know many of them.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook.
Who do you wish followed you?
Electronically, or in person? If you've ever done something unethical in journalism, you should follow me (electronically).
Why did you become a journalist?
Knew at 14 this was for me, sophomore in high school J class. Never regretted it. Hasn't always been easy or fun, but my calling.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did briefly. I wrote a column, but I was into radio at that time and anchored the twice-weekly newscasts.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Anytime someone said they read my entire story and thought I did an accurate and fair job, I had a reason to be proud.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't be intimidate by veterans. Put their criticism in perspective. Many don't remember just how little they knew when they started.
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