Hello, I’m Haley Vega for the 2018 NPR Illinois Podcamp.
Brian Mackey is a reporter of state government and politics for NPR. Mackey didn’t always know he wanted to write or work for a news station.
“I don’t really remember watching a lot of news as a kid to be honest with you. The first big news event I remember is the when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on launch. That must have been what, the mid 1980’s?"
He may not have always known he wanted to work for the news but there is at least one thing he’s always liked: Books.
“I still read books. I think it’s one of the most important things that somebody who wants to be a reporter can do is you have to as another famous reporter says you have to read before you write.”
Even though he didn’t always have an interest in news, specifically, it was always in his family.
“I do remember my grandpa going to get the Chicago Tribune every Sunday when I’d go visit and seeing how important the newspaper was to him certainly gave me a thought that well this is an important job and it reaches a lot of people, and my grandmother read the paper as well. So I think that seeing the role that the newspaper could have in people’s lives certainly made that seem like something exciting to do.”
Brian Mackey still continues to freelance at several news outlets as well as working at WUIS.
This has been Haley Vega for the 2018 NPR Illinois podcamp.
NPR Illinois PodCamp is an annual program teaching media literacy, civic education, journalism, and technical skills to aspiring students.
