9 Journalist Spotlight: Jaclyn Cosgrove

Years in journalism: Almost 20 years, if you count from the time I showed up at 17 at my local newspaper. But, professionally, 13 years.

Current job title: Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times

Educational Background: I attended Oklahoma State University for undergrad and worked at my student newspaper, The Daily O’Collegian, and then later received a journalist scholarship to attend UCLA School of Law for a master of legal studies.

What skills do you use the most in your job?

Curiosity, compassionate reporting, and intensely present listening. It’s not easy as you age and the world grinds you down to stay curious, but as a journalist, I make sure to have hobbies outside my job, like hiking, that keep me playful and curious. Our curiosity keeps us observant and looking for stories. I write a lot about the mental health system and find myself interviewing people in a lot of pain. I try to ensure I am respectful of their trauma and compassionate in how I interview them. And then during the interview, I am listening really intensely making sure I know when to interrupt them and ask a clarifying question and when to not speak at all.

What skills did you wish you learned in college?

I wish someone had told me it’s OK to be affected by the hard stories and that I should talk to someone about it, like a therapist. I have developed post-traumatic stress from the violence — whether it be from man or nature — that I’ve covered, and I stayed quiet about how much it hurt for a long time.

Describe a day in the life of your job?

I cover county government, so I might be looking through a long Board of Supervisors agenda, meticulously checking motions and contracts and making sure I’m not missing anything that maybe someone hopes I miss. I make several calls to county staff members to ask questions about motions for that week. I call local advocates to learn what they’re focused on. Overall, making sure I have a good understanding of the county’s most pressing matters.

What is your most memorable assignment and/or favorite memory from your career so far?

My favorite memory is of a story a source told me. I’d written a mental health story about someone who’d been killed in an elected official’s family. We included an info box with the story about how to get help if you’re suffering, including a number to a local support group. A college student tore the box out of the newspaper and put it in his wallet. Weeks later, on New Years Eve, he was having thoughts of suicide. He pulled the paper from his wallet and called the number. He reached a kind trained professional who helped him, and he did not kill himself. It is a reminder of how important providing resources to our community is.

What are the biggest joys and challenges you face in your current job?

I am grateful to the families and people with lived experience who share their stories with me about the county mental health system. The biggest challenges to telling those stories are government bureaucracy, people dodging me and also, when it’s a particularly challenging story, making sure I take care of myself.

What changes have you seen in this industry?

I graduated in 2009 during the recession. I joke that the website JournalismJobs.com was a parody site because — there was nothing on it. I would search whole states and find nada. Many of my friends and colleagues have been laid off. Those changes have been deeply painful. Shoutout to venture capitalists for that trauma. The most joyous change has been the unionization of my newsroom and many more newsrooms across America. I am grateful to serve on my union’s bargaining committee to demand fair wages and good working conditions for all.

What advice do you have for student journalists?

Stay gentle. Protect your heart — including from abusive managers. Don’t let the work make you hard. Be aware when bitterness seeps in. And enjoy the magic of what we do.

What is the future of this industry?

You are. You amazing student reading this. I really believe that.

What else do you want new journalism students to know about being a journalist?

The pay doesn’t have to be bad — unionize your newsroom and support your union when you’re in one. When we fight, we win.