Taking on the role of a journalist comes with many responsibilities and qualifications. You must be determined, social, concise, and so much more. USA Today entertainment reporter, KiMi Robinson, will help us dig deeper into the life of a journalist and share her experiences with us.
Robinson is a 2016 graduate from Loyola Marymount University in California with a Bachelor of Arts in English creative writing and a certificate in journalism, yet she didn’t always want to be a journalist. “I was always inclined to language, English, and writing. I think the origins of journalism would be clear whenever I was assigned creative writing assignments for class. That journey started in college when I saw that there was a copyeditor position open for the Loyola Marymount University newspaper. That kind of helped me dip my toes into the journalism industry.” She has continued to work in print and online news since graduating from LMU and the student-run newspaper, The Los Angeles Loyolan. In February 2017, KiMi joined Kyodo News as an assistant correspondent at the Los Angeles bureau.
Robinson has found being fluent in both English and Japanese as a gift that was not so valuable to her when she was little. “I’ve become more appreciative of this quality as the years have passed. I think it’s very easy to become unappreciative of growing up multicultural when you’re younger. Now, being bilingual is a very important part of me that I try to express.” To be more appreciative of this quality, KiMi tries as much as possible to incorporate her Japanese heritage into her career.
Robinson focuses her reporting on Asian-American stories, entertainment, and social/political movements. Her writing has been recognized by the Associated Collegiate Press (as a 2016 finalist for news story of the year) and published in outlets such as NBC News, The Japan Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and South China Morning Post. “My advice to be a good journalist is to listen, it’s a crucial part of the job, and try to intern as much as you can.” Another quality she mentioned later in the interview is to be skeptical. She exclaimed that it’s important to question the information you’ve gathered to verify whether it’s true or not.
While chatting with KiMi, she opened up about a prominent issue in the journalism field. “Fact-checking and verification is more important than ever. You have to be able to say to yourself that you’re 99% sure that this information is reliable. If you publish misinformation, you’re creating a bad look for yourself, the publication, and the company you’re part of .”
While this field has many challenges, there are many enjoyable perks. Robinson can attend red-carpet events, travel a bit, and interview some of the best-known celebrities throughout the world. “The most extreme traveling I’ve ever had to do was to cover the Las Vegas Massacre of 2017. I basically had to drop everything I was doing and report to Las Vegas for a week to cover what had happened.” KiMi has also traveled to places like Honolulu, Oregon, San Francisco, and Texas to cover a variety of events and topics.
In the journalism field, there are so many opportunities and memories to make. To close out my interview with KiMi, I asked her for advice for myself and future journalists. “I think taking inspiration from reporters and if possible, if you have the courage to, connect with them and ask them questions and ask them for advice. It’s always a good idea to take their advice and apply it to yourself.”
To keep up with KiMi Robinson you can visit her at:
Instagram: @reporterkimi
X: @kimirobin
Email: [email protected]
