Andy Rose, a 1999 graduate of the School of Journalism and Media within the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, has been promoted to senior news desk reporter at NCS, marking a major milestone in his almost two-decade profession with the community.
Rose, who joined NCS in 2007, mentioned the promotion displays years of dedication to reporting and storytelling at the nationwide degree.
“It was a real honor to have the work I have been doing be recognized by my supervisors,” Rose mentioned. “I work with people who have won top journalism awards — from the Emmy to the Peabody Award to the Pulitzer Prize — so to have them praise my stories is a wonderful feeling.”
In his new position, Rose has taken on better duty in each content material creation and newsroom management as NCS continues to develop its digital focus.
“When I first joined what was then called the national desk, I spent most of my time confirming information about developing stories that would be alerted within the newsroom, and others would turn them into finished TV packages and web articles,” Rose mentioned. “Now, as our focus turns more toward digital platforms, I am fully involved in every step of the process, writing full articles and often helping to select the images, video and graphics that help tell the story.”
Rose additionally mentioned the promotion permits him to pursue extra in-depth reporting whereas mentoring different journalists.
“My senior role means I am now taking on more enterprise stories — going beyond daily news developments and working on pieces that explore the effects of those events more in-depth,” Rose mentioned. “It also means I get to mentor other journalists in our group and learn more about some of my specialties, including legal cases and narrative writing.”
His day-to-day work varies extensively, reflecting the unpredictable nature of nationwide news protection.
“My work focuses on stories for NCS’s website and mobile app, but it involves the same process as an on-camera reporter, interviewing people involved in a developing story, researching the background and writing articles that explain and contextualize complicated subjects,” Rose mentioned.
That work can vary from breaking news updates to long-form reporting.
“Sometimes I am calling local emergency officials to confirm damage from a natural disaster. Sometimes I am watching a lengthy trial. Sometimes I am interviewing experts and poring over hundreds of pages of documents or hours of recordings,” Rose mentioned. “On some days, my reporting comes out in a series of brief news blog posts updating breaking news. At other times, the result is a 2,500-word article that took several days of reporting and hours of fact-checking and legal review.”
Despite almost 18 years at NCS, Rose mentioned overlaying breaking news at a worldwide degree continues to current challenges.
“NCS is the gold standard for delivering news anywhere in the world, so you truly never know what story will break from day to day,” Rose mentioned. “At NCS, you have to learn how to quickly get up to speed on how to confirm information from any place it might happen. After 18 years with the company, it eventually gets easier, but it’s still a challenge.”
Rose’s path to NCS started in Kentucky, the place he turned early alternatives right into a long-term profession in journalism. While at UK, he labored at WVLK radio, finally shifting into tv and radio roles in Lexington and Louisville earlier than relocating to Atlanta.
“I was a student reporter at WUKY radio, as well as a part-time announcer for a year, and I had some of my first professional field reporting experience there,” Rose mentioned. “The most interesting experience was covering student celebrations on Euclid during our run of three straight Final Fours from 1996 to 1998.”
He later joined NCS’s radio community earlier than transitioning into digital and affiliate reporting roles that led to his present place.
Looking again, Rose mentioned he by no means anticipated to attain this degree in his profession.
“I grew up watching NCS and took the tour in Atlanta when I was 13 years old, and it all seemed so overwhelming,” Rose mentioned. “But some adults who saw my interest in news as a kid used to say, ‘I’ll bet you end up at NCS one day.’ It just took me a while to believe them.”
Rose credit his training at UK for shaping his strategy to journalism, significantly in ethics and important pondering.
“I learned a lot about the history and ethical foundations of modern journalism at UK, and those are discussions I’m still having almost 30 years later,” Rose mentioned. “One thing I appreciate about NCS is that we really do have serious, intense discussions about our ethical responsibilities and making sure we are approaching stories responsibly and humanely.”
As the media panorama continues to evolve, Rose encourages present college students to develop a variety of abilities.
“There is more convergence in this field than ever, so learn how to write and report in every format you can,” Rose mentioned. “Whether it is video production, podcasting, photography or writing for the Kernel, having the broadest skill set is important in an industry that is constantly shifting.”
Reflecting on his journey, Rose emphasised the significance of confidence and persistence.
“Have confidence in yourself. Take chances,” Rose mentioned. “Watch the work of others carefully and learn from their experience, but don’t be intimidated by them. College sets a great foundation, but we’re all still learning as we go along.”