I am the assistant opinion editor as well as the assistant features editor, which is something of a dichotomy, but I enjoy the differences in style and content, working with and learning from two more experienced editors with very different work styles and personalities.
Why I became a journalist
In the days before pre-school/pre-K, my mother held “school” with me about half an hour each day, starting when I was 3 years old. As a result, I learned to read and write, and developed a love of language at a tender age. I knew by age 8 that I wanted to be a writer. Or a zoologist. Thankfully, I chose the former.
What I like best about my job
I enjoy the absence of monotony! I learn something new every day, whether from the stories that come across my desk, or from colleagues and their work.
A story I have worked on that has had a lasting impact on me
As an entertainment reporter in California, I was contacted by the biological but estranged father of an A-list director, screenwriter and actor. (I’m not much for name-dropping. You’ll have to wait for the tell-all book!)
A national entertainment publication had done a nasty hatchet job on him, taking quotes out of context so that it sounded like he was insulting his famous son. He reached out to me to set the record straight because he’d been reading my stories and pop culture column for a while and thought I had the chops to tell the true story. I wrote a long feature on him which eventually made its way to his son.
I’d like to say there was a happy father-son reunion, but to this day, they have never met face-to-face. Still, I felt flattered that I — a reporter at a midsize, bedroom community daily — was chosen over other more well-known publications, and I was proud of the effort that went into getting this story, as well as the finished product. I am my own worst critic, so it’s rare that I pat myself on the back and admire something I’ve written but this was a back-patting moment.
What is the biggest challenge I face?
Finding the balance between two very different positions. Because I’m essentially a switch-hitter, I have to be able to jump into opinion mode or features mode at will. Usually, I can split my day between the two, but as is the case in this business, anything can pop up without warning. I have to be ready to change hats as the moment dictates.
What I like to do when I’m not working
I’m a big music fiend and right now I’m stuck on ’80s alternative tunes from my long-ago college days. I do some creative (usually humorous) writing, though not nearly as much or as often as I’d like. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family, which includes several nephews, a niece and five great-nephews. I’ve been told I’m the “cool aunt.” I’ll take it.
Favorite event or Greater Columbus tradition
I’m from Dayton, but have attended Columbus Pride several times, so I’m a big fan but really, I’m more of a single-event kind of person. I enjoy concerts, but haven’t been to a really big one in a while because of the pandemic, so the last one I saw was P!nk, almost three years ago at the Schottenstein. Spectacular show. Columbus draws an impressive roster of big-name performers.
why journalism matters
Though the bulk of my career has been in entertainment and features writing, it’s still just as important on those beats as it is in hard news to deliver accurate, fair and objective reporting to readers. With all the misinformation and fabricated news circulating, especially on social media, journalists must be purveyors of truth.
Journalism is an industry in which you are constantly learning—the nature of the job puts you in the company of so many different people with different personalities, opinions, and experiences. I believe that learning from others makes us better able to be teachers, not in the pedantic sense, but as far as disseminating well-informed information to the readers.
Belinda M. Paschal can be reached at bpaschal@dispatch.com or (937) 623-3303.