Colleen King
Get to know some of our College of Media faculty. Colleen King is director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media and clinical assistant professor of journalism.
How did you get your start in journalism?
I went to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and there I majored in political communication, which is a cross section of political science and journalism. While I was a student at GW, I got an internship at CBS News in Washington, which is how I got into TV news. I have spent 17 years in TV news; almost 15 of them at MSNBC, where my final job was executive producer of the 11th Hour with Brian Williams.
How did you know you wanted to get involved with journalism?
I grew up in a household where my parents subscribed to Time, Newsweek, and the local newspaper. They also watched the news every night and on Sundays watched the political talk shows, so I kind of grew up around news. What I loved learning about news in college was that you didn’t have to pick a side, you didn't have to agree with some positions and not others, and you could really look at things at a neutral angle. I really loved the idea of having a front-row seat to the news as it was happening.
What is your current job position at the University of Illinois?
Currently, I am director of the Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media and a clinical assistant professor of journalism. The Frank Center was created out of a generous donation from Rich and Leslie Frank. Rich is an alum of Illinois and Leslie, his wife, is a former local news anchor and an Emmy award-winning news anchor from Seattle and Los Angeles. They funded the Frank Center to create experiences for students of all kinds. So, it’s bringing high level journalists to campus to meet with students here. The workshops and event programming help in supporting what everyone is learning at the College of Media and additional experiences beyond that, too.
What type of classes do you teach now?
This semester, I’m teaching JOUR 313: Writing for Television and Streaming News. I have also taught JOUR 200: Introduction to Journalism, JOUR 210: Newsgathering across Platforms, and JOUR 494: Navigating the Job Market. The classes are all fun in their own way, but the JOUR 313 class is dear to my heart because it’s something I spent doing every day, so that is kind of fun to develop as a class.
What is one of your favorite career experiences?
Highlights of my career have been predominantly in the control room where I have gotten to cover some major events in American history, such as presidential elections and political campaigns. I have also covered all sorts of breaking news like hurricanes, school shootings, wildfires, and floods. I loved covering politics and that was usually what I would be covering most days.
Was it hard to stay objective while covering the news?
No, I think part of being a journalist is learning how to report a story and not take a side. One of the things I loved most about it was getting to say what was happening and talk to experts that could help me predict where stories were going rather than taking a side and advocating.
What advice would you give to College of Media students?
My advice would be to pursue what you love and what you’re interested in, because if you do what you love it won’t feel like work ultimately down the road. Also, gain as many experiences as you can as an intern or as someone shadowing a professional in the field to understand what the job looks like day-to-day and know if it’s the right fit for you. Don’t be afraid of the word “no” and not getting a job or an interview. “No” just helps you get more creative about other options and other things to pursue.
—Interview by Mila Mitrovic, New Voices Intern
