By Todd Harmonson, The Orange County Register
A Q&A with Diversity Fellow Alex Iniguez, a sports copy editor and designer with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Q: What made you want to get involved in sports journalism?
A: I started in high school and just wanted to write music reviews for my high school paper. About two weeks after I started, nearly all of the editors quit at once. So I became an editor. I wasn’t doing sports at first. One of the guys on staff, his dad was Sam Smith, who wrote “The Jordan Rules.” He had sports pretty well covered. Then when I went off to college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to major in, but I liked my journalism classes the most. I applied for my student paper and ended up in sports.
Q: What’s a story you most enjoyed working on as a copy editor or writer?
A: I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of my co-workers’ stuff. Not one thing comes to mind. I’m just big on reading a lot of writers’ stuff. One person in particular is (the Post-Gazette’s) J. Brady McCollough. He just kills it in our paper. He writes these big, long projects that I wouldn’t know how to start as a writer.
Q: Are you on the path you want as an editor or do you want to get back to writing?
A: I really would like to be an editor. People ask me that a lot. Do you miss writing? All of your friends are writers. But, no, I don’t miss it.
Q: Who is someone that has helped you grow in your career as you’ve gotten into sports journalism?
A: Definitely (Post-Gazette AME/Sports) Jerry Micco. I had lunch with him about a year ago. I told him I want to go into editing or be in management, do what you do. He definitely has helped me a lot.
Q: What would you say has been your greatest professional accomplishment?
A: At this point in my career, being where I am at all, being at a major paper. I’ve been there 3 1/2 -4 years. It’s amazing. I feel thankful every day I go to work. I did skip out on the smaller papers, a couple spots on the career path. I’m fortunate.
Q: What would you say has been your greatest personal accomplishment?
A: Just that at this point in my life, everything I’ve set out to do I’ve made happen. Every serious goal, whether it be college or my career, I’ve made strides toward. I can’t imagine it going much better than this.
Q: What would you say is the most compelling story you’ve read?
A: A couple things. As recently as last month, I read a book, “Boy On Ice,” by John Branch. Really good book. He had incredible access and really reported it well. That guy’s (Derek Boogaard’s) dad was a police officer in Canada, so he was able to get a lot of things from him. You have to be good, but you also have to be pretty lucky. Brady McCollough wrote a series awhile back about a local town called Clairton, where football was everything. It’s not about the games. It’s about the people. Without the people, it’s nothing, and he really showed that.
Q: Who are your favorite writers other than the ones you already mentioned?
A: At our paper, I’m impressed with Ed Bouchette. He does such a good job on the Steelers. Elsewhere, Jonah Keri. I just read his book on the Expos (“Up, Up & Away”).
Q: What do you hope to learn through your involvement with the APSE Diversity Program?
A: Just to see how other news organizations handle the business. I’ve only worked with one place. I’m learning a lot.
Q: Are you hoping to have an impact on the industry’s diversity in the long run?
A: It’s really important to me. It has to start at the top. That’s what they’ve done. Sports journalism will be much more diverse because of it.
This week we are featuring this year’s “draftees’’ into the 2014-15 APSE Diversity Fellowship Program. The Fellows will meet in person for the first time at APSE judging this week in Lake Buena Vista, so if you are attending, please introduce yourself and make them feel at home!
