I love engagement reporting.

 I first used engagement reporting tools (social media and digital strategies) in my role as a traditional beat reporter at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Now I do engagement reporting full time.

My current engagement reporting, 2019-2021

I’ve run questionnaires both online and offline and helped fuel stories.

My early engagement reporting, 2017-2018

I improved my education coverage by understanding the range of issues that are important to the community I cover and using that perspective to inform my reporting. I also boosted engagement online and now get my content to audiences in fresh ways. In my role as an engagement reporter, I strive to focus on communities and how stories impact them as I do investigative reporting around the country.

how engagement helped my beat reporting

Made a professional Facebook page

More sources who tip me off on stories. Easier accessibility to sources. Widespread content promotion. Quicker understanding of major discussion points and schools issues that people care about.

Facebook Q&A chat, Google Form surveys

Audience-driven reporting. An understanding of the issues impacting community drives my coverage. More story ideas. I now know the topics confusing and sparking conversation among advocates for education in my community, so I know where I should spend my time.

Alternative storytelling and storyforms (video, Prezi, aesthetically pleasing visuals)

More ways of connecting readers to stories I write in our digital world. More innovation to see what works with online audiences.

My story portfolio

I’m a writer and reporter by trade, picking up other skills as I go. My best work is on Muck Rack.

Journalism side-hustles

In my non-work time:

• I explored Minnesota post-election and talked to voters in Obama-turned-Trump land about why they think their areas made the switch
• I conducted a focus group of non-journalists to ask about issues in the industry and what we could do to fix them. I then came up with three ideas that I’d love to implement and posted them on my blog.
• I blogged about the changing media industry, innovations, ethical questions and thoughts about life
• I ran Minnesota’s chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (serving as board member for one year and president since late 2016)

Check out this video for more of my thoughts on the future of journalism.