Sarah Vogelsong
As seen in:
Yahoo News,
Substack,
American Inno,
RawStory,
Grist,
Virginia Commonwealth University News,
WTOP News (Washington, DC),
Stars and Stripes,
The Virginian-Pilot,
Inside Climate News
and
Covers:
environment, agriculture, rural issues
Doesn't Cover:
crime
Reporter @RichmonderNews; formerly @MercuryVirginia, @ProgressIndex & others. Tips, comments, Qs: svogelsong@richmonder.org
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I reviewed books at a small online publication in New York called the New World Review.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I have! An IBM Selectric Model 71, which was so loud that I eventually resold it.
How is social media changing news?
News now has a higher bar for grabbing attention and must walk a finer line between attracting readership and conveying accurate information.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means to strive to understand and record how things were and are, no matter how uncomfortable or contradictory the facts might be.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Send me an email! I love hearing about new stories, new angles or the unusual or overlooked.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook. Despite some of the nonsense, its format still seems the most conducive to conversation to me.
Why did you become a journalist?
Without a record, so much is forgotten, misconstrued or exploited. People's and communities' stories are crucial if we are to evolve & thrive
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A story on how the freezing of EPA grants would affect my coverage area, because few realize how much the federal & local levels intersect.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Try not to be so wedded to a narrative that you fail to listen to what people are actually telling you.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
National Geographic or, locally, the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
People often assume that agricultural communities are backward, or that environmental advocates are all radical, but both are more complex.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.