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Ta Brant
Reporter
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Village forms bucket brigade to contain house fire
Searcher on ice
Ta Brant
ta brant
Ta Brant
reporter
Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News
Are you from Alaska originally?
No. Like many Alaskans, I moved here from the Lower 48. I’ve been here about a decade. The summers are unbeatable. The sun hardly sets. People mow their lawns at midnight and no one cares. The people here are great — independent, quirky and friendly.
What kinds of stories do you cover as a metro reporter?
Plane crashes, car thefts, bear attacks, mountain rescues, drug busts, earthquakes, murders, fires, floods — you name it. I’m the night cops reporter, so I cover crime and public safety issues and also any news that breaks after everyone else goes home.
I have a hard time writing the first sentence of a story. But when my adviser helps me write it, I can write the rest of the story without many problems. How can I improve?
Try to imagine how you’d tell the story to a friend if you only had a few minutes to talk. Write that down and push ahead. You can always come back to the lede later. The more you write, the better you’ll get, so just keep at it. The less you depend on an editor, the better. Reading will also make you a better writer.
How difficult was it landing your first newspaper job?
Pretty tough. I was extremely ambitious but I couldn’t write my way out of paper bag. Eventually an editor took a chance on me. I thought it had something to do with my positive attitude and strong work ethic, but he later confessed that he was desperate. It’s much easier to find a job after landing that first one.
Do you think it's better to start at a small newspaper or try to get to a big city newspaper?
For a rookie reporter, I
think it’s best to get on at the paper where you’ll get the most
guidance and be able to have some fun.