Shannon Ballard: Telling Her Communities’ Stories

By Janea Huber 

An important and well-known part of journalism is storytelling. However, many people may not realize the importance of tapping into the human side of a story.

Shannon Ballard, a 2010 USU JCOM alum, immersed herself in this principle through her experience in Anchorage, Alaska, as a general assignment reporter for KTVA 11 News.  She recently shared some insights on finding success in news reporting through forming personal relationships and identifying the "human stories" found in every community. 

Ballard started her reporting career in Grand Junction, Colorado, as a general assignment reporter. Two years later, she moved to Anchorage to help rebrand the state’s oldest television news station. She planned to stay in the 49th state for one year, but loved sharing Alaska stories so much, she ended reporting there for nearly a decade.

While in Anchorage, Ballard had many opportunities to cover stories about topics new to her. She reported on oil and gas development, plane crashes, Alaska native culture, a reindeer rescue, where she earned an Emmy nomination.

Ballard especially enjoyed a story she covered about a woman in Homer, Alaska, who was the local newspaper’s cartoonist. She drew cartoons about people in her life and her personal battle with cancer. Through her inspirational artwork, she shared how she endured through her difficulties.

She appreciates being able to focus on storytelling through her work on features and community stories. Getting involved in the community is one of Ballard’s favorite parts of working in journalism.

Ballard first learned about networking at USU, where she formed close bonds with JCOM students through her classes and activities.

“I have great memories of sitting in JCOM’s small edit bays at 2 a.m. with everyone editing, having a good time and talking about their stories,” she says.

The small class sizes, availability of professors and support from classmates are among the advantages of studying journalism at USU. Plus, the chance to make memories that will last long into an alum’s career. As Ballard shares, the closeness that she found in her classes was considerably helpful.

“I liked that it was a really small group and I was able to learn a lot that way through feedback,” she said.

Feedback from working professionals is another benefit to being a part of JCOM, Ballard says. While working in the field, she would often share stories she created with Brian Champagne, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and professor in JCOM, and ask for his critiques.

The faculty in JCOM go above and beyond for their students, even after they’ve graduated, Ballard says. The professors are dedicated to preparing students for careers and connecting them with people in the industry.  

Besides establishing genuine connections, Ballard advises journalism students to “not be afraid to leave your comfort zone.” Then, once they find a job where they are treated well and able to exercise their creativity, “don’t be in a rush to leave.”

The chance to learn a little about many subjects, and be an influential part of the community, such as Ballard’s experience with the cartoonist, is an often-overlooked aspect of journalism. But those who work in journalism really become invested in their community because they are telling the stories of the people in them.

Ballard is a perfect example of the passion that drives many journalists to want to document the world around them.

“It’s not as glamorous as it looks and sometimes you feel burned out,” she said. “But how lucky am I that I was able to spend my 20s traveling Alaska and learning about things I would have never thought I was interested in? The ‘learning a little bit of a lot of things’ really expanded my mind and I think helped me grow up and appreciate life more.”