James Baetke - Fall 2007

James Baetke

I can now call myself a Washington reporter. That rolls off the tongue nicely: Washington reporter.

It's too bad that some of the glory of calling myself a Washington reporter is slightly tarnished by the dwindling numbers in print circulation, the onslaught of print media moving the core business of newspapers onto the Internet and the fact that newspapers across the country are in a hiring freeze.

Scooby-Doo might yelp "Ruh Roh" at such an unwelcoming outlook into my career, but I embrace the challenge.

I'm the oldest of four brothers and have always known that writing was an integral part of my life. I was a sophomore in high school in Englewood, Colo., when my journalism career began, writing a woman's volleyball story for my high school newspaper. The headline read: "Jump, set, spike."

Clearly, I'm far from my volleyball days. I have made my mark at the University of Iowa's daily newspaper, the Daily Iowan, and in three years with the Rocky Mountain Collegian at Colorado State University. I have interned at the Fort Collins' Coloradoan and Boulder's Daily Camera. I have also had stints working with the Society of Professional Journalists and stringing for The Denver Post and The Associated Press.

Today, working two blocks from K Street and around the corner from The Washington Post, I am most interested in understanding how the press works in this ultra-political town.

Despite the uncertain future of this industry, I am determined to succeed in journalism and certain this Washington reporter gig will help me do so.

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