Photo submitted by Catherine Murphy to HCN
I’m including this story for two reasons: 1. To highlight my love of profiles and how I could improve this one, and 2. To show young journalists there are different ways you can do what you love.
Catherine Murphy was a joy to talk to. Articulate, bright and aware of journalists’ needs, she was extremely helpful as I interviewed her for this profile. The Examiner audience loved reading about other locals, so this was a perfect piece for publication. By no means is it my best piece, however. For one, I only interviewed Murphy, and I could have also included her family, another Mercy Ships volunteer and/or a representative of Mercy Ships. One-person interview stories were acceptable at HCN; they likely wouldn’t be at other publications. If I could redo this piece, I would get more sources, do more research and write tighter.
I also included this piece to demonstrate for young journalists that there are ways to do what you love. Murphy was trained as a journalist and joined Mercy Ships as a writer; she was passionate about Africa and writing and found a way to combine the two. I don’t know if Murphy works as a journalist now or has gone into another field (non-profits, perhaps?), but her story can be instructional for other young journalists wondering how to blend their passions.
“Tanglewood resident works on hospital ship,” Bellaire/River Oaks/West University Examiner, Houston Community Newspapers, June 20, 2013 or online here.