Megan Hauglid

JOUR. 271

Oct. 15. 2012

Feature Story

495 words

            UNIVERSITY, Miss. – Sandra Knispel, a native of Germany, started her life in the United States looking for a career in journalism, and has now received two Edward R. Murrow Awards for her work in Radio Broadcasting. Knispel currently works as a radio reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting; she is also writes freelance for NPR and WKNO in Memphis.

            Knispel graduated with a B.A. in politics and Russian studies from the University of Wales, Swansea, and a M.A in journalism from the University of Mississippi. Knispel worked for a variety of companies including Bloomberg TV in Germany, regional German newspapers, a national German-American newspaper in New York City, Bloomberg Financial Markets in Princeton, New Jersey, Bloomberg in London and the Oxford Enterprise in Oxford, Mississippi.

Knispel says she has experienced working for “horrible bosses” as well as working for rewarding jobs. Throughout her years in journalism, Knispel has mastered how to “show don’t tell” allowing the subjects to do the “emotional lifting.”

Knispel’s determination and will helped her succeed in finding a career in journalism. While interviewing for a company in the United States, Knispel said that she was “willing to do whatever it takes, work for free, drive there” regardless of the fact that it was a four hour round trip.

Her hard work eventually led her to reporting events such as the EF-5 tornado that flattened the small town of Smithville, Mississippi. Knispel received an Edward R. Murrow Award for her Smithville story, which qualified for the news series category. The Radio-Television News Directors Association has given out the Edward R. Murrow Award to broadcast news organizations since 1971.

“It’s fascinating to see how someone from a different country can come to the United States and achieve so much in such a short time,” sophomore journalism major Sarah Douglass said.

            While reporting the facts about the Smithville tragedy, Knispel learned that you have to report the facts, as a journalist, you can’t just say, “it’s all okay.” 14 Smithville citizens died as a result of the EF-5 tornado and Knispel realized that she couldn’t just report what happened anymore; she had to interview people and figure out what’s next.

            Knispel also expressed the importance of the principle of “do no harm.” Knispel faced this challenge while interviewing a soldier who was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“The things that stick in my mind is that soldier with all the tattoos who looked like a tough guy and then he was a crying man,” Knispel said. “People who tell you incredibly personal things that they probably haven’t told their friends and all of a sudden they trust you.”

Unlike most speakers who come to the Meek School of Journalism and New Media, Sandra Knispel provided us with life lessons instead of the usual “build your resume” talk that most students hear. Knispel provided students with an outlook on how to use your determination and keep pushing through because you’ll learn along the way.