Michaela Rush
Verified
(She/Her)
- Reporter, Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post
- HEAL Fellow, Solutions Journalism Network
Fredericksburg
As seen in:
Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post,
Solutions Journalism Network,
The Battalion,
The Documenters Network,
Dallas Free Press,
Garland Journal,
Texas Metro News
Covers:
Arts, local businesses, human interest, student features, K-12 education news
Reporter @fbgstandard, TAMU ‘23, cheese aficionado 🤠 formerly: @thebattonline, @dallasfreepress, @report4america, @soljourno
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Life & Arts reporter for The Battalion in Oct. 2020
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Anytime I've had the chance to play with one, but I've never gotten to actually write on it.
How is social media changing news?
It's increasing response time, but it's also making the news turn back to the community, while creating infinite ways to tell stories.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Kit Kittredge (yes, the American Girl Doll)
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means being an observant member of a community, who asks uncomfortable questions and seeks the rawest form of truth in all scenarios.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
On email or in-person, but in addition to the general overview, I want to know what the small detail was that kept your attention.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Drive, BLOX CMS, InDesign
What's your favorite social network?
TikTok
Who do you wish followed you?
Sabrina Tavernise of NYT
Why did you become a journalist?
To tell real stories, which are often far more complicated than those we can imagine
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
My school didn't have a newspaper, so college was my first shot at journalism.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My work covering tension between my college newspaper and administrators. While stressful, it led to enormous personal/professional growth.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
I'm still an aspiring journalist myself, but I would say to jump in headfirst and try a little bit of everything.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime before 4 p.m.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A short history of an academic department that went from well-funded and successful to storing supplies in a dirt basement
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Any pitch that was a story that I already covered. They happen more than you'd think.
What's your favorite drink?
Iced tea, all day everyday
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At local businesses in the Bryan-College Station area, especially Downtown Bryan
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Texas Tribune, The Eagle, The Houston Chronicle
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Community life stories are not necessarily easy to write, and just because a story is happy doesn't mean it's not important.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.