Embracing the unfamiliar

I cover the town of Exeter, a small town with big history, where people know (and talk to!) their neighbors. Having never been to Rhode Island before this Summer, it’s been quite a challenge to get to know a new place. I’ve had to learn a new town and a new newsroom -- on top of just trying to figure out how to get to work and back home again. It can be a bit scary when you have to cover a town you never even knew existed. But it also can be a wonderful thing. I’ve tried to look at it as a blessing -- not as a disadvantage. Sure, I didn’t know everyone’s name right away and I had to use a map to find my way around. But as an outsider, I probably noticed things that people who had grown up in the town had overlooked.

Instead of being intimidated about having to learn a new place, reporters should embrace the unfamiliar. It makes us inherently curious wherever we go, which often leads to great stories.

-- Bethonie Butler, The University of Maryland, The Providence (R.I.) Journal