With job cuts continuing to reshape the media industry, some are pessimistic about the future of this essential industry. But as America’s leading local news platform, we see journalists adapting, taking back their creative freedom and filling gaps in traditional media coverage.
More than one-third of journalists already publish their work independently, according to a new study by Muck Rack. Yet only 60% earn income from their solo work, highlighting the practical challenges of this new landscape.
What opportunities does this new era offer for journalists and content creators? How do you find your voice? Bring humanity to your work? Build an audience? Monetize your expertise? And keep creating in a world that seems more crowded, divided and noisy than ever?
To find out, we’ve launched Behind the Byline. Every episode features an intimate conversation with a media professional or independent content creator making an impact in the new media landscape.
Our host is Emmy® Award-winning journalist and communications leader Maria Cid Medina. Maria has decades of experience in broadcast journalism. She’s also a small business owner and brand manager. Bringing both compassion and curiosity to every interview, she connects with guests as peers to pull back the curtain on life as a modern media professional.
First up, Maria talks to Vicky Nguyen, NBC News investigative consumer correspondent and author of the moving memoir Boat Baby. Vicky rose through the ranks from new graduate to network news desk by seizing every opportunity to learn, especially when it took her out of her comfort zone. But Vicky’s story really begins in infancy, when her parents made the decision to flee Vietnam to build a better life for her in the U.S.
Future guests include Emily Chang, host and executive producer of The Circuit on Bloomberg Originals; Julie Wernau, independent journalist and former reporter at WSJ and Chicago Tribune; and Jeremy Owens, editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Business Times.
We hope you’ll tune in to be inspired, moved and reminded that authentic voices still matter. Because behind every byline is a person, a purpose and a story worth hearing.
Listen to the first episode of Behind the Byline now, featuring Maria and Vicky Nguyen:
Follow Behind the Byline for updates, behind-the-scenes clips, and exclusive insights from our guests:
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