From The News Record to The New York Times
Journalism alum credits UC’s internship opportunities with his success
German Lopez entered college undecided. Flash forward 10 years, and he now writes for The New York Times, ranked among the best newspapers in the world. The 2012 University of Cincinnati grad faced an increasingly competitive journalism field, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that the field will continue to shrink.
Despite the statistics, Lopez found work immediately after college and has since continued to grow in his career. Lopez traces his success back to his time in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, where he says his experience working for the student newspaper combined with his internships and other real-world opportunities were the key to landing a job after graduation.
Here he talks about the arc of his career, how A&S supported him—and shares advice for aspiring journalists.
Did you know you wanted to major in journalism right from the start?
I went to Miami University my first year of college as undecided, then transferred to the University of Cincinnati and majored in journalism right away. I was originally planning to go to Georgia Tech to be a video game designer, but decided I wanted to do something that had more of an impact on the world, so I went to journalism.
How did the journalism program at UC help set you up for a successful career?
The teachers were great to help sharpen my writing, teach me how to report, and help increase my confidence in making phone calls. Getting involved with The News Record, the student newspaper, was really helpful. Through UC, I got internships with the Cincinnati Enquirer and City Beat, which were immensely helpful as well. The internship with City Beat ended up turning into a job after I graduated, which is how I really got started.
UC grad German Lopez, now a journalist with The New York Times. Credit/Aaron Conway for The New York Times © 2023 The New York Times Company
Tell me a bit about what you do for The New York Times.
I write the morning newsletter 2-3 times a week. A newsletter is really intimate in the sense that you’re reaching people’s inboxes first thing in the morning. It may be the first thing they see, or what they read with their cup of coffee, sort of what newspapers used to be like. We’re telling people, “This is what the Times thinks is the big story of the day, this is what’s important about it, and if you want to read more about it here’s other Times coverage you can go to.”
You’ve had a very impressive career in just a little over 10 years. What are some things you’ve learned about yourself as a journalist over that time?
One thing I’ve learned is that I’m more adaptable than I thought I would be. I started at an alternative weekly newspaper, then went to a digital media outlet, and now I’m at the New York Times which is quite the culture shift. The other thing I’ve learned is that on any topic, when I start working on it, it gets more and more complicated over time because you’re learning more and more facets of it. It forces a degree of humility that is really important as a reporter. You should approach everything with curiosity.
What advice would you give to any journalism students about to begin their time at UC?
It’s cliché, but try to write and report as much as possible. Take every opportunity you can get. At first, you’re going to write a bunch of stories that you may not be that interested in, which is tough, but it’s invaluable practice. At some of the internships I did I wasn’t doing the most exciting stories in the world, but I saw it as an opportunity to learn how I could make it more interesting. Do stories, work for the student newspaper, and find internships, because that is going to show you where the industry is going much better than a classroom will. It’s so important to get your hands dirty and really do journalism.
What advice would you give to a recent graduate of the journalism program that’s entering the journalism industry?
The big thing today is showing you’re capable of doing journalism and being flexible. The industry is going through a very tumultuous period. You have to show that you are flexible in an environment that is almost certainly going to change dramatically in the next few years. Clearly something is going to have to change when the whole world is changing in how we communicate and how we share information.
Featured image at top: Stack of newspapers. Credit/Pixabay.
By Sydney Asher
Student Journalist, A&S Department of Marketing and Communication
artscinews@ucmail.uc.edu
Related Stories
Clifton Court Hall grand opening garners detailed media coverage
September 20, 2023
The University of Cincinnati celebrated the opening of Clifton Court Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 19, with a ribbon cutting, attended by approximately 200 administrators, faculty, staff and students. The event was covered by multiple media outlets.
Partnership gives UC journalism students real-world experience
May 25, 2021
The University of Cincinnati's News Collaborative course is the capstone of a Journalism degree at UC. This course offers students a way to compile all that they have learned during their time as students into two stories that they are encouraged to try and get published locally.
UC grad finds niche in data journalism at Fortune magazine
May 26, 2021
By Rebecca Schweitzer [COPY] “I love new challenges,” said Lance Lambert, a 2014 Arts & Sciences Journalism and Economics graduate from the University of Cincinnati. From his time at A&S, Lambert has held positions at five companies in the fast-growing field of data journalism. As of February, Lambert had risen through the ranks at Fortune Magazine to be named Analytics Editor and Editorial Director of Fortune Magazine. Data journalism is an ever-growing sector of journalism that focuses on the collection of reader data and the use of infographics to convey story topics to these readers. By the use of data journalism, writers can include more factual and statistical information in stories. Lambert began working for Fortune Magazine in 2019 as an Associate Data Editor. He has since earned two promotions, first to Analytics Editor after founding Fortune Analytics, a data newsletter. His second and most recent promotion has been to Editorial Director of Fortune Education.
Senior reporter at Cincinnati Business Courier credits A&S for success
May 14, 2021
By Haley Parnell [INTERIOR CAPTION AND PHOTO CREDIT] Description of image here. Photo/Credit goes here. “I think the biggest thing that I learned at the University of Cincinnati was, it’s really important to go do,” says Tom Demeropolis, a 2007 graduate of UC’s journalism program and a senior reporter with the Cincinnati Business Courier. “You’ve got to be able to show potential employers that you can do the work,” he says. The journalism program encourages students like Demeropolis to apply classroom learning to hands-on experience like writing for The News Record (TNR), UC’s student-run media organization. This kind of training helps prepare students for internships, professional networking and later, career success.
Former UC student fulfills her love of journalism at local news station
July 26, 2021
By Nailah Edwards From the age of 15, Meghan Goth knew she wanted to pursue a career in journalism. She was inspired by the creative writing and journalism classes she took during middle school and high school in Denver, Colorado with teacher Elektra Greer. “(She) did a fantastic job of fostering my love of writing,” Goth said. Goth is now the senior manager of the enterprise/investigative team of WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, where she manages the I-Team and enterprise reporters. Goth and her family moved to Cincinnati when she was 16. She returned to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder, but she decided to finish her degree at the University of Cincinnati, where she studied journalism and minored in French in the College of Arts & Sciences.
UC photojournalism grad receives regional recognition
July 19, 2021
During Emily Maxwell’s fourth year studying English at the University of Cincinnati, she had an epiphany. After taking a course in journalism, she changed her major and didn’t look back, becoming the first student to graduate from UC with a concentration in photojournalism. Now an award-winning visual journalist with multiple Emmys to her credit, Maxwell is known for her documentary work on poverty, public housing, environmental issues and wildlife conservation. Maxwell credits the journalism program in the College of Arts and Sciences for teaching students how to do a little bit of everything in a journalism career. Students enrolled in the program were strongly encouraged to land internships at local news outlets and to contribute to UC’s student-run publication, The News Record, a training ground for UC journalists for more than 100 years.
Forbes: 'I love telling Black women’s stories’
February 22, 2021
Print media is an industry that is hard to break into, but for UC alumna Brande Victorian there were additional hurdles: being a woman of color.
Former athlete, UC alum determined to make lasting impact in journalism
July 2, 2021
By Jason Szelest From a young age, Keith Jenkins loved to write. He remembers in kindergarten, while other children would play with blocks and Legos, he would sit at a writing table, working on his penmanship. Before his teenage years, Jenkins had already begun to stand out as a writer, winning an essay contest in the sixth grade. “The first-, second- and third-place winners got to read their essays in front of the whole school,” Jenkins said. “I was hyped to read mine when the other two winners were so nervous. That’s when I really knew I loved to write, and I loved to speak.” Jenkins went on to major in journalism in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, and become editor in chief of The News Record, UC’s student-run media organization. Today, he is a sports reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer, where he covers UC athletics. But journalism was not the first career choice for Jenkins. His father played professional football, and his own accomplishments on the gridiron at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati led to a football scholarship at the University of Toledo.
UC alumna rises from intern to editor of CityBeat
June 16, 2021
By Olive Collins Niesz Maija Zummo has lived the dream of every journalism student: She rose in the ranks of the publication that gave her a start as an intern to become its editor-in-chief. Since she graduated in 2006 from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in journalism, Zummo has become one of the best-known voices in Cincinnati journalism as editor-in-chief of Cincinnati’s alt-weekly publication, CityBeat. “Maija arrived at UC with a virtual suitcase full of skills, the creativity of polished poet, and the gumption and confidence to go after her dreams,” says Jenny Wohlfarth, UC educator journalism professor. Studying journalism wasn’t part of Zummo’s plans when she enrolled at UC. She intended to study Classics for her undergraduate degree and attend veterinary school for her graduate degree. Then she took a newswriting and reporting course and promptly fell in love with journalism.
A&S grad applies liberal arts education at global tech company
October 1, 2021
One might not think that degrees in history and journalism would lead to a successful career in the Silicon Valley. But they certainly have for University of Cincinnati alumnus Chad Reid, who is vice president of marketing and communications for a San Francisco tech company. Reid, who attended UC from 2005 to 2010, is an executive for Jotform, which has developed a platform for creating and sharing online forms. The skills Reid acquired in the College of Arts & Sciences at UC have translated well to a career in marketing, he said. “Companies need people who can write, especially who can write on a deadline,” he said. “They also need people who can research.” Becoming a journalism major at UC was “a no brainer” for him, Reid said, because he had been editor of his high school newspaper. But UC didn’t have the major when he first arrived at the university. It announced it was starting a journalism program after Reid’s freshman year.