Our service journalism editor is a self-proclaimed nerd. How that’s good news for you
At The Sacramento Bee and McClatchy Media’s 29 other 24/7 publications, helping you navigate your daily life and answering your questions is at the heart of what we do. We’ve built an entire “service journalism” division around this, including news about openings, closings, weather, traffic, recreation, cultural events and even “places to go and things to do under $25.”
Last month, we hired a new editor to lead our Sacramento Service Journalism Team: Lauren Chapman, who interned with us 11 years ago before eventually returning to her home city, Indianapolis, covering the Indiana Legislature for Indiana Public Broadcasting. In that role, she did everything from forge cellphone texting relationships with politics-savvy listeners to create a video game to explain the legislative process. Which are just two of the reasons why we’re excited to have her back at The Bee, as we develop innovative ways to better connect with you, our subscribers.
Lauren’s team includes Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado and Don Sweeney, as well as our food-focused duo of Camila Pedrosa and Sean Timberlake, the latter of whom also recently joined us.
Lauren already has shared some of her political know-how with our readers with this guide to the California Legislative Session, and she’s eager to hear what you, our subscribers, want to see in our news products. Here’s what she had to say about that — and much more:
You were a summer intern at The Bee in 2014. What was it like to re-enter our newsroom as an editor?
“It felt a little bit like a homecoming. The Bee gave me such an incredible foundation for my career through my internship. The Bee took a chance on a 21-year-old intern from an Indiana college (Ball State University) and gave me an experience that really catapulted my journalism career. So, it’s nice to come back and use the skills I’ve developed since I was last here. And it’s really nice to see so many familiar faces in the newsroom who have welcomed me back so generously.”
Do you see Artificial Intelligence as a threat to the service journalism we produce?
“Absolutely not. AI programs can only replicate information that is already out there. It can’t interview people, it can’t critically understand what is important to local communities. It can’t overhear conversations at your grocery store, your laundromat, your coffee shop and catapult that into a story. But AI can be a tool for us to more efficiently report service stories. And it can help us make sure our journalism gets in front of people who need that information.”
You’ve spent the bulk of your career at Indiana Public Broadcasting. How will that experience shape how you go about working with our Service Journalism Team?
“With Indiana Public Broadcasting, I built a lot of tools and resources to explain how Indiana’s legislative session worked, and how to get involved with state government. My team got to explain a little bit of everything — like what the most common mistakes on election ballots are or how to talk to state lawmakers. What I found was a real love for chasing the curiosity of my team and our communities. We used question boxes and a text group to solicit community questions, all in the pursuit of finding them answers. For the service team, we’re doing much the same. We’re answering questions like “what do you do if you encounter a gray wolf” and “how does California’s legislature work” and even, “when’s the best time to visit Disneyland?” But — shameless self-promotion time — we want more questions. What’s the weird thing about the Sacramento area you want to know? Or the question you feel like you should know but don’t? Send them to me at lchapman@sacbee.com.”
You describe yourself as having done a lot of “funky side quests” in journalism. So what’s the funkiest?
“It’s hard to narrow down the funkiest. I’ve gotten to cover a lot of stories — two sitting U.S. presidents, two environmental contamination crises, three Indiana governors, nine legislative sessions, probably more than 100 protests and a partridge in a pear tree. My first story for NPR’s national shows was literally about the economics of the NBA’s expansion into e-sports. But I think my funkiest was building a video game. I wanted an immersive way to help users experience Indiana’s legislative process to make it a little easier to follow bills. It’s not easy, even when you’re paid to do it. So, I taught myself a whole new programming language, went through hundreds of proposed bills over the course of two legislative sessions, and learned animation to make an Oregon Trail-style video game. By the time I left Indiana, it was being used as an educational tool in high schools, colleges and by advocacy groups. That was definitely not on my career bingo card.”
How are you adjusting to life in Sacramento — and what do you do for fun?
“It’s going well! The fact that there are palm trees and visible mountains offends my Midwestern sensibilities. And I’ve accidentally bullied nearly the entire newsroom for their winter coats in 50-degree weather. But it’s nice to come back and feel like I can really cultivate a space for myself in the community. And for fun — I’m a huge nerd. My two primary buckets are baseball and Dungeons & Dragons. I’m looking forward to a few A’s and River Cats games this summer. And I’m slowly visiting every game shop in the capital region to hunt for new dice sets.”
