Diane Fuhrer is the features editor at the StarNews of Wilmington. She received her degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and began her career in media. She has worked in sports, news, and features at newspapers in North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. Throughout her more than 25 years of experience in journalism, she has held the position as an editor at several major daily newspapers such as USA Today and Moorestown Patch, a hyper-local news website. She has also been an adjunct professor in the journalism department at Rowan University. Diane will be speaking on the Women in Local Media panel that is being held on March 20th at UNCW as part of a networking opportunity for the COM department. Here are some more questions we wanted to ask Diane:
HC: Did/do you ever experience any challenges specifically linked to being a woman during your journey in your career?
DF: I really did not face any challenges in my career because I was a woman. In fact, at the beginning of my career when I was a sports journalist I believe being a woman opened a few doors for me. In the 1980s, women who were knowledgeable in sports and who wanted to work in sports journalism were a rare commodity. It is still an issue at smaller newspapers, but I think women have made incredible strides in sports journalism as a whole.
HC: Do you have any advice for a young woman pursuing a career in the media industry?
DF: Be able to write your own stories, take your own photographs, create videos, stay up-to-date on social media. Journalism is moving more and more into the digital age. Also, read A LOT — magazines, books, blogs, etc.
HC: Is there something you have learned working in journalism that no one ever taught you?
DF: I have learned that it’s important to mentor younger journalists.
Come out to COM Studies Week and see Diane Fuhrer alongside several others on the Women in Local Media panel being hosted by HerCampus on March 20th from 6-8 p.m.