Thomas Lake '01, Sports Illustrated Reporter Talks

Last week, Gordon alum Thomas Lake '01, a reporter for Sports Illustrated, spoke in our journalism class. Lake got an internship at a local paper while at Gordon and has worked at small newspapers before getting a position at SI. One thing that stuck out to me was his dedication and perseverance through the mundane parts of his career, particularly how he worked through writing for a daily and reporting on community events. He explained that even though journalists will inevitably need to cover boring stories, the best way to get through them is to find some aspect or angle that they can be passionate about. I was inspired by how he turned an uneventful assignment about town hall meetings into a "bust" of sorts, uncovering the story behind the unethical "executive sessions." Another point that hit home for me was what he said about getting away from your desk and out in the action. I struggle with this because, since the actual writing comes easy for me, I tend to just call or email people, get the facts, and write the story with no problem. However, I know that my stories could have so much more substance if I experienced the story first-hand or interviewed people face to face. There are details that you can't possibly include if you are just obtaining the information from second-hand sources behind a desk, and it's those details that make the story worth reading. Lake said that he has always been a shy kid, so the fact that he overcame that fear and dives into his stories gives me hope. It was such a treat to have Lake come speak in our class! It was interesting to hear how he has progressed in his journalism career, and hearing him talk got me excited about where I'm headed!