For the seventh and final installment of a multi-part series profiling each of the Institute of Politics (IOP) Pritzker Fellows for the winter and spring quarters, The Maroon spoke with WTTW political reporter Heather Cherone , the Chicago Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), about his experiences navigating the changing media industry. Cherone emphasized the importance of remaining flexible and tenacious in a rapidly evolving industry with an uncertain but eternally important future.
Cherone wanted to be a journalist since she was little. “I quickly realized growing up, reading the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and watching the news on TV, that somebody had to put it all together,” Cherone said. “I thought, well, this is the best job ever, because I’ve always been a nosy kid.”
Cherone attributes her success as a journalist to her inquisitive nature. “What I share with all other good journalists is that we all have an insatiable curiosity and we all want to know why,” he said.
Cherone attended Northwestern University, completing her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in journalism in 2000. She worked in California for several years before returning to her hometown of Chicago in 2007 to join the Chicago Tribune and WTTW in 2020. She also served as an adjunct professor of journalism at DePaul University from 2012 to 2015.
Embracing the evolving nature of the media industry, Cherone has overcome numerous challenges that have reshaped journalism. “I’ve lived through and survived at least two major industry cataclysms,” Cherone said. “I survived the burst of the dot-com boom and then I survived the ‘Facebookization’ of news.”
The shift to digital news and the shift away from print media required Cherone to adapt to new storytelling mediums. “I was flexible enough to move from journalism to digital journalism, and then from digital journalist to the live role I’m in now,” he said.
Whether he’s writing 2,000-word articles, compiling newsletters or appearing on WTTW’s 10 o’clock evening news, Cherone maintains that his mission as a reporter remains the same.
“Journalism is journalism, whether you do it online, on the air, on the radio or in print,” he said. “My job is to give people the information they need to be active participants in our democracy.”
In an age of social media, Cherone tries to focus on her writing rather than curating a certain image. “I’m not interested in getting a lot of likes or retweets on Twitter,” he said. “I’m not interested in being someone who is known for anything other than the quality of their work.”
She credits PBS’ public funding with allowing her to focus on her writing rather than generating attention. “I work for a news agency that is not tied to ratings, page views or clicks,” he said. This allows Cherone to turn his attention to what he believes really matters.
“Rather than some weird notion of popularity, I’m much more concerned with whether my work is of service to people,” Cherone said. “Is it helping people become more knowledgeable?”
Throughout his career, Cherone developed a deep sense of journalistic integrity by valuing the quality and accuracy of his work. Sometimes this means sacrificing certain aspects of public expression that others take for granted. For example, keep your social media profiles free of partisan views.
“I voluntarily forgo some of the public expressions of political views to which all citizens are entitled simply because I do not want to reveal a bias,” Cherone said. “I want it to look like I’m a serious person doing serious work.”
However, Cherone finds value in being vulnerable and open, especially when gaining confidence during interviews. “Many times as journalists we are dealing with people on the worst day of their lives. I’ve found that it helps smooth out this interaction if you’re willing to reveal a little [yourself].”
Cherone currently serves as a Pritzker Fellow at the IOP, where she leads weekly seminars and hosts office hours, guiding students through the history and future of politics in the city of Chicago. “I was very happy to explain what is happening in the mayoral elections and the city council elections to people who don’t live it and don’t breathe it like I do.” Cherone finds that she learns as much from her students as they learn from her. “I don’t spend a lot of time talking to people who don’t know who the councilor of the sixth ward is. It’s a reminder that there’s a whole big world out there with lots of people who don’t cover politics as obsessively as I do.”
He finds similarities between his role as a journalist and as an intern. “Doing seminars, meeting one-on-one with students, it’s not much different than being on our weekly policy panel,” he said. “My job is to say, ‘Here are the facts, here’s how those facts are believed, here’s the context in which those facts live.'”
Cherone sees her role at IOP as important in helping to inspire the next generation of political journalists, following the trailblazing female journalists who paved the way for her. “There were certainly people like Pam Zekman, Fran Spielman and Carol Marin who paved the way in the ’80s and ’90s,” he said. “I’ve had to deal with less sexism and misogyny because of what they were able to do. So I’ve certainly felt an obligation to those who will come after me to make their paths a little easier than mine.”
For students aspiring to pursue a career in journalism, Cherone points out how challenging it is because of the public scrutiny and demanding nature of the profession. With the ever-changing landscape of news consumption and the pressure to report on sensitive and complex issues, he highlights the importance of being flexible and having a genuine passion for serving others.
“Nobody is quite sure how journalism will work as a business. You have to be able to be flexible and roll with the punches,” Cherone said, acknowledging the uncertain nature of the profession. “It’s a very demanding path, it’s not particularly well-paid, and it demands a lot of your life personal and your peace of mind.” Despite these complications, Cherone believes that journalism is the best way to serve the community. “There is no better way to be an active participant in the democracy and civic life of any city than cover”.
Regardless of the challenges, Cherone maintains the importance of journalism. “If that’s your way, then we need you, because we need good journalists and we need this part of democracy to work.”
