Laura Bauer

Laura Bauer, a reporter for the Kansas City Star, was introduced to journalism in high school, and has loved it ever since.

Bauer graduated after five years of attending college, and got a job soon after at the daily newspaper in Springfield, Missouri where her older sister also worked. At first, she wrote for the neighborhood news, bi-weekly section. Two years after she was hired (in about 1995), Bauer began working full time as a cop beat. It wasn't until January of 2005 that Bauer was granted a presence on the Kansas City Star staff.

While she worked as a cop beat, Bauer felt like she had a purpose.

"When I solely covered crime, my goal was to open people's eyes to the underbelly of society," Bauer said.

What she meant by this, was that she tried to show people what was happening in their community so they could try to improve circumstances or try to protect themselves.

While she was working as a cops reporter, Bauer worked on a story about a toddler who had died in foster care, and who should never have been put in this foster home in the first place. Because of the investigation about this boy and the information that was retrieved from of it, this child care agency was reconstructed, and some of its leaders had to leave the agency. This experience is evidence to Bauer that jounalists can make a difference in communities.

"That little boy didn't die in vain," Bauer said.

Currently, Bauer's news writing is more generalized. Bauer's new focus is on front page enterprise stories, which she describes as "people-oriented stories."

With so many bloggers and other forms of communication available today, it is sometimes difficult to define what journalism is. Bauer has her own opinion on what constitutes not only journalism, but "good" journalism.

"...It accurately depicts what is going on in people's lives and how it affects them, telling their stories in a way that others feel like they are living it themselves. Journalism that holds people accountable and that gives people information they otherwise wouldn't have."

However, Bauer admits that her view of journalism has changed since she began work in the field. She believes that the purpose of journalism is basically the same as it always has been, to "inform, educate, entertain and evoke emotion." The thing that has changed, in her opinion, is the audience in terms of wants, though not necessarily needs.

Despite the changes that have taken place, Bauer feels that The Kansas City Star does a good job of providing news that balances the wants of readers with news they can use.

The Kansas City Star, like many newspaper staffs around the country, has suffered lay-offs and has lost one fourth of its staff as a result. Although these circumstances are not ideal, Bauer encourages all who are interested in journalism to stick with it.

"Newspapers will survive, they're too important," Bauer said.

Changes are definitely due to come, though. The advice Bauer had to give to young journalists is to become well rounded. She said it was important to learn how to do video and audio, and to become experienced with working on the web. Bauer's sister, a newspaper editor, has speculated with Bauer that there probably will be a time in the future when newspapers will not hire reporters who can't do both of these things. She relayed that small newpapers are most likely the best places to gain experience in this. Bauer ended the interview with a few words of wisdom for upcoming journalists.

"Prove yourself, pay your dues, specialize in a type of reporting that interests you and be the best in it."