Emily Busse didn’t always intend to pursue a career in journalism. Set on doing creative writing and short stories, she only began writing for her high school newspaper as a way to maintain her skills. But after a short time, Busse grew a passion for journalism and has stuck with it ever since.“I quickly came to love journalism and realized that it is an extremely creative and important profession,” Busse said.
After working her way through Opinions Editor, News Editor and Editor-in-Chief of her high school paper, Busse joined the staff of The Daily Iowan (DI) her freshman year at the University of Iowa. Though she still loved journalism, Busse wasn’t always set on staying with the DI all throughout college. The stress of working for a daily newspaper was more than she expected.
“All that stress, in addition to classwork and trying to maintain a social life, took its toll, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue,” Busse said.
But she quickly realized the DI was “something special.” The opportunity to improve her writing, make valuable contacts, make friends and learn invaluable skills outweighed the stress of being part of the DI. “I realized that I was willing to sacrifice my involvement in other organizations, and even some social groups, in order to throw myself into the DI even more,” Busse said.
Busse’s hard work and dedication over the years has paid off. Working first as a metro reporter, then as Metro Editor last year, Managing Editor this year, producing and anchoring for DITV and landing a full-time internship this semester at KCRG-TV9/The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Busse has now obtained the position of Editor-in-Chief of the DI for the upcoming year.
Busse plans for the DI include providing more diverse and thorough coverage of the community next year by hiring more staffers and emphasizing beat reporting. This will also produce more content for their readers.
As for after graduation, Busse plans on moving somewhere more “exotic” for a few years for work at a news organization before eventually returning to the Midwest.
“I really love getting to know a community well and reporting on local news for that area,” Busse said, “but as long as I’m contributing to the news, I’ll be happy.”
Busse’s advice for those interested in a similar career path? Write for a campus newspaper!
“I can’t stress enough what even one semester as a reporter will not only do for your writing skills, but also for your interpersonal skills and your resumé!” Busse said. “It’s an amazing experience and I’m so glad I stuck with it.”