Staff Q&As: Meet business editor Cathy Hirko
To help you get to know our newsroom staff a bit better, a series of question-and-answer posts with each journalist will run on Mondays. This morning, meet business editor and Weekly Record editor Cathy Hirko. Just last week she was at the York Builders Association Show with Buffy Andrews and business reporter Sean Adkins, sharing with the community how they can become part of the Daily Record’s digital first news-gathering team.
Name: Cathy Hirko
Lives in: West Manchester Township
Hometown: Jersey Shore, Pa.
Position at the YDR: Business Editor
Years with the YDR: 11 years
Graduated from: Lock Haven University
With a degree in: Journalism/public relations
Twitter: @CathyHirko
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cathy.hirko
Whatever you’d like to tell us about yourself: When I have time, I like to make jewelry.
1. What made you want to become a journalist? Couldn’t get a job in PR. No, seriously. My first job was with a newspaper, a part-time gig. And I loved it. Really loved it. I’ve been a journalism junkie ever since.
2. How do you see journalism changing? I don’t think I have ever seen it NOT changing. But, people still want to read a good story. We are just figuring out what platforms to relay that information. It’s not enough anymore to just want to write. It’s about engaging the reader and making them care about you and your work.
3. What do you like most about your job? The least? I love working with people who are excited about what they do, are always looking to improve their work and are challenging themselves. The older I get, the more I realize how much I have to learn and how much I want to learn.
4. It’s 9:30 a.m. on a day off. What are you doing? Hopefully just relaxing at home. A perfect morning is enjoying a warm cup of coffee and watching either a Food Network show or a DIY project show.
5. What’s been your favorite project or story recently? Why?: I don’t really have one. I will say that I like to see our journalists get excited about their work. We tend to benefit the most when journalists have a passion for what they do.
6. The drink that’s on your desk right now is: Water or coffee, and right now I’m out of both.
7. Your favorite journalism-related blog you read or Twitter feed you follow:
I don’t have one blog specifically. I like the tidbits that Romenesko offers, but I don’t follow him regularly. I think the advantage to Twitter is that you don’t have to follow anyone in particular. The stories/news always tends to find me.
8. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters? The last book you read? I rarely go to the movies. I don’t know if it was the last book, but I read “The Help” earlier in 2011. It’s a really good book.
9. What’s your favorite place in York County? My home. I’m rarely there, so anytime I get to be at home with family, it’s a blessing.
10. What’s one piece of newsroom jargon that had to be explained to you? Bonnet. The first time I heard it I thought they were referring to a woman’s hat. [Editor’s note: The bonnet is composed of the (usually two) boxes below the paper’s name on the front page. They refer to newsworthy stories inside other sections.]
Last week, we ran a Q&A with night police reporter Rebecca LeFever. To read all of the staff Q&A interviews we’ve done so far, click on the “Staff Q&As” under “About us” at the top of the homepage.