Roury Fitzpatrick (12) has known she wanted to pursue a career in broadcast journalism ever since she joined the Westview Newscast her sophomore year.
“Watching the Westview Newscast during COVID and [seeing] how professional they all looked, interested me in broadcast journalism,” Fitzpatrick said. “[It] made me want to become a part of it.”
Last school year, she started the podcast Wolverine Pause with Malayna Hernandez (’23) and that same year she was named to PBS NewsHour’s list of 20 students under 20 who are considered to be the next up-and-coming storytellers. She has also been able to gain experience in broadcast journalism off-campus.
On Oct. 5, students from the Newscast visited the KPBS News Station at SDSU, where they got to experience what it was like to be a part of a major broadcast journalism team. By going to the news station, the group had the opportunity to talk to professional journalists, including one of the anchors, while they took a tour.
Along with a tour of the studio, students were able to test out the equipment the KPBS team uses. One such opportunity, sitting at the anchor desk, gave Fitzpatrick a new perspective on the world of broadcast journalism. Seeing the grandeur of the room and equipment put into perspective how trivial the technology at Westview is.
“This was one of the first experiences as a class that we [went] to a news station and saw what it’s really like [in a journalism environment and see] it from the perspective of the student, we got to see the real deal of what they do,” Fitzpatrick said.
Not only were they able to see all of the equipment, but the group was allowed to try out the cameras and gear the professionals use while pursuing stories. When Fitzpatrick tried on the bulletproof vest and fireproof jackets that journalists sometimes wear, Fitzpatrick realized the intensity of a journalist’s life.
“I feel like that goes to show how intense journalism can be and how serious and dangerous it can be,” Fitzpatrick said. “[When] a lot of people think of journalism they [think] it’s not that big of a deal, [and] I thought that too. But then seeing all the equipment that they had to wear, I was like ‘Wait, this is intense.’”
She was able to learn about how KPBS pursues stories, and it inspired her to take a new attitude when it came to her own journalism work.
Fitzpatrick said that the person who made the biggest impression on her from this trip was a radio host who worked on the podcast at KPBS. Hearing about his job resonated with Fitzpatrick to apply to her own time managing Wolverine Pause this year with Xavier O’Boyle (12).
“[He told us that] you have to be out there, you have to be talkative because you’re not going to make it if you’re not,” Fitzpatrick said. “That made me realize [that] I need to break out of my shell a bit and prove to others that I’m capable.”
For many in broadcast journalism, the dream is to be an anchor on a news channel; however, for Fitzpatrick, she just wants to be able to explore the world through a journalistic lens.
“Something specific I want to pursue, not just in journalism but film, is documentary-making,” Fitzpatrick said. “I find it super cool and I would absolutely love to pursue something of the sort in my future. I can’t see myself being content sitting in an office all day, and I would love to explore the world and be able to make films with people who share the same passion as me.”
