Award-winning columnist speaks at AIC
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| Mary Ellen Lowney and Tom Shea |
SPRINGFIELD--Tom Shea had two career ambitions when he was growing up. He wanted to play center field for the New York Yankees or become the first American Pope. Speaking in Professor Lowney's Journalism class recently, the award winning columnist for the Springfield Republican told students he realized quickly his two career choices were not possible, so he pursued his passion for sports and became a sports reporter.
Shea told students there are plenty of career possibilities in newspaper writing, from features to sports, political reporting to entertainment.
"My job as a feature writer is like getting an advanced degree in life," Shea said. "In trying to create a feature story, there's no real news to it. I try to give life to it, so people can relate to it and understand it."
During his carer Shea has covered everything from the Red Sox to City Hall and now writes a feature column for the Republican. "Feature stories are a lot like seeing the obvious," he said. "One of the first stories I wrote was about grave diggers working in the dead of winter. It was so cold that day, I just hung around talking to these guys about what it was like digging graves in such cold weather."
Shea urged students to be curious and not afraid to ask questions. "My first newspaper job was covering hockey, a sport I knew nothing about. But the great thing about being a reporter is having the ability to find out things you never knew."
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