WSJ’s Carpenter: Spend all day learning about everything

The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia interviewed Wall Street Journal reporter Julia Carpenter, its recipient of the the John E. Drewry Young Alumni Award, honoring a graduate of the last decade who has experienced a successful early career.

Here is an excerpt:

GC: What is it about your field that appeals the most to you? Why did you decide to enter that field?

JC: I’m a big talker and an obsessive journaler. As soon as teachers saw those two things, they started recommending I think about studying journalism. In my career now, those two things — my chattiness and my note-taking — are huge strengths of mine. As a student, I loved the idea that journalists could ask anyone about anything and spend all day learning about everything. Even today, I’m still marveled that I will think “I wonder how that’s going to work?” and then I’ll call someone and say, “You’re the expert, and I’m a journalist — can you tell me how that’s going to work?”

Read more here.