I remember the first time I stepped foot in the OU Daily newsroom.
I was a freshman looking for a way to get involved and had heard about the Daily’s open house event. I showed up near the end of the day once the pizza was all gone and only a small circle of sports reporters remained. I told them I was interested in joining, and they asked me if I was interested in sports. I stuck around for a little bit, but as someone with very little knowledge or interest in sports, I left thinking it was not the place for me.
I was very wrong.
At the end of the fall of my sophomore year, a classmate told me she was a part of the Daily and that the culture desk was looking for new reporters. We usually talked about our favorite musicians before and after class, so she told me the culture desk might be something I enjoyed. I figured I’d give it a shot.
The following semester, I went to my first culture desk meeting and found myself right at home.
When my first story was published, I felt so proud. I’d spent several days looking through my editors’ comments about Oxford commas and brevity and meeting one-on-one. I was fairly new to the rules of article writing and had a lot to learn. Still, I was so excited to share the article with all my friends and family.
I grew up in a very small town in southern Oklahoma where the greatest value was community. It seemed like everybody knew one another and their stories. I’ve carried this value with me since the day I left for Norman and have found that, even somewhere 46 times the size of my hometown, a sense of belonging and connection is crucial.
At the same time, my hometown saw the opening and closing of numerous businesses. For a place so centered on community, it was shocking to see those places struggle. The arts were also merely a footnote within a sports-centric culture that solely rallied for Friday night lights. I would think to myself, “Why is nobody talking about these creative-minded people?”
Culture stories aren’t typically what people envision when they think of a journalist. However, I believe the stories produced by culture writers must exist beside those by news and sports reporters. It all depends on the angle.
Shelby Emery is a fall 2024 journalism graduate. She has served as a culture reporter, senior culture reporter, assistant culture editor, summer news reporter and culture editor.
As I dove into my role at the Daily, I realized something that strengthened my love for culture reporting. Every person I spoke with, whether an artist or an entrepreneur, had a profound passion for what they were doing. It was beautiful.
Part of our human nature is that we crave knowledge about other people. How can our knowledge go beyond the surface when these creatives don’t have a chance to speak out, their words aren’t handed out on a silver platter? They feel unreachable, hidden around corners, just waiting to add color to their environment. The Daily lifts the veil on these untold stories.
I have always admired those who create art for a living. From ages 9 to 18 my days were spent rehearsing for my school’s show choir, which doesn’t even scratch the surface of the hours of work those with artistic careers put in. The Daily has given me an opportunity to combine pieces of my life, both past and present.
I wish I had taken a chance on the Daily sooner, no pun intended. As I grew in the organization, I began to see firsthand how much the leadership cares about everyone who walks through the door and the purpose we serve for our community. My editors and adviser fostered my growth and saw a potential I may have never realized had I not stuck around.
When I joined the editorial board as an assistant editor during my junior year, I was nervous and unsure of myself. It really hit me then that the Daily is student-run and that I would be one of the students running it.
I felt immensely supported by my editor at the time who consistently reminded me that I was just as much a leader as she was and that my decisions were important. What a scary and exciting thing to be told at 20 years old. I knew I had big shoes to fill.
Over the past semester, I often questioned if I was cut out for the editor role. Late nights at my part-time barista job became even later nights editing the story that needed to be out the next morning. As I look back at what the culture desk, and the Daily as a whole, have accomplished, the reward that comes from this job is clear.
We storytellers have a chance to share knowledge that cannot be taken for granted. When I am told by sources that they felt like I really listened and told their story accurately, or hear my fellow reporters discuss the messages they receive thanking them for their work, I am reminded that every sector of journalism has a profound impact.
I cannot thank the OU Daily enough for taking a chance on me.
And thank you, Norman, for listening.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd. Avery Avery and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
Read some of Shelby's work:
