by Jill Moline, PenPoints Editor
Pursuing a Successful Career in Journalism
by Jill Moline, PenPoints
Editor
Anna Kukec began her career with the Southtown Economist and stayed with the paper during the transition from a Wednesday/Sunday paper to a daily one. Her passion for journalism stayed with her, despite her parents wanting her to do something a little more stable. Anna sent articles from her school newspaper, adjusting the stories slightly. "I just wanted to see my name in print; I wanted to be published," she said.
After beginning her career in the newspaper, Anna went on to work as a speechwriter and public information officer for the Illinois Attorney General's Office. There she worked for such Governors as Roland Burris and Jim Ryan. According to Kukec, Ryan fired all of his staff except Kukec.
In 2000, Kukec became business and technology reporter for the Daily Herald. In 2002, she joined the management ranks as community news editor. Her article on the Motorola layoffs made the front pages. Her contacts and sources have proved to be invaluable in establishing late-breaking news.
One particular scenario involved Motorola and the layoff announcements. The media was aware of the layoffs and this was quickly publicized. The wire services went so far as to say the current set of layoffs would be the last. Kukec sources claimed more layoffs were yet to come. Kukec wrote her story with the theme, "No End in Sight." Understandably, her editor stopped and questioned her, but Kukec stood by her sources, even though the Chicago Tribune and The Sun-Times all claimed it was the end of the layoffs. Her instincts and determination proved correct when one month later another 7,000 employees were laid off.
Kukec offered her words of advice to the budding journalists at the May meeting.