Becoming a reporter

What’s up, everyone? It’s Annika Hom and I’m asking you to donate. After 3.5 years at Mission Local, I like to say I’m a veteran reporter — which just means that I’ve pissed off slightly more government officials and political groups than my junior colleagues. (Judging from the doozies scheduled for next year, they’ll catch up, though.)

Okay, maybe you’re ambivalent about funding the news. Well, then think of your Mission Local donation as funding education. Mission Local taught me and other young journalists how to do it all: How to write, how to ask uncomfortable questions, and how to schedule stories from the dance club.

In 3.5 years, I’ve lived one hundred lives: As a housing inspector, a ramen reviewer, a private investigator, a love guru, and a breakfast-sandwich addict, all of which made me a better writer and reporter. 

Unfortunately, as Jia Tolentino said about the (almost) death of Jezebel, few places exist today where inexperienced writers can cut their teeth. She’s right; it seems like every news job these days requires you to come out of the womb with razor-sharp fangs and a Bob Woodward obsession. That’s, in part, what makes Mission Local unique. Two-thirds of my colleagues had little to no reporting experience, and at least two had completely different careers before coming to Mission Local. Yet today, they’re some of the best and brightest reporters in this city.

The training is invaluable, but so is the sense of community Mission Local instills. My colleagues have had nights out interrupted by skateboarders and shootings, stories they jumped on to bring them to you. Off the clock, I often hear from readers and sources in the “wild” — as a “civilian,” one source put it recently — who offer questions, compliments, and criticism on my pieces, undeterred by the fact that I’m in my pajamas and it’s 9 p.m. on a Friday. (True story.) But it’s fine. I’ve loved it all, dear reader, because how often can a reporter say they really know the people they’re aiming to serve each day? How often can a reporter say, “I know this idea is a story, because I saw it, and I care, and I live here, too?”

In my time at Mission Local, I’ve learned to recognize and report stories, and care about the people in them. Very soon, I’ll be off on a new reporting adventure. While I have some trepidation, I feel more confident because of my experience here — one that’s moved me professionally and personally. I’m thrilled to see how my colleagues continue to serve and astound this city. Please donate to keep them going.