Michael Quirk
Jour 271
October 15, 2012
Sandra Knispel
409 Words
Winning
Awards With Sandra Knispel
UNIVERSITY,
Miss. – A syrupy mixture of British and German accents, the voice of Sandra
Knispel is not what students at the University of Mississippi are used to
hearing. That may be fitting, as Knispel is no ordinary journalist either. The
two-time Edward R. Murrow award winner spoke to a classroom of journalism
students during “Meek Week”, a week dedicated to celebrating the Meek School of
Journalism at Ole Miss.
Despite
being born and raised in Germany, Knispel left her home country to attend the
University of Wales in the United Kingdom. After graduation, she moved to New
York City to work for a now defunct German-American newspaper. Working under a
tyrannical boss, Knispel faced a daily grind that she never could have
anticipated.
“I
cried a lot in my three months there,” said Knispel. “But I couldn’t quit or my
work visa would expire.”
She
spoke of the difficulties working for a sexist, racist boss. It was also
difficult for her to grow as a journalist, because she was told to copy and
paste from German newspapers and tabloids. It was after a lengthy berating that
she finally gained the courage to quit, ending the saga that had driven her to
tears at night.
Needing
to find work quickly, she found a job working for Bloomberg News. After working
on-air with Bloomberg, she moved with her husband, Gregory Heyworth, to Oxford.
Knispel landed a job as the managing editor of the Oxford Enterprise, a Sunday
newspaper.
After
having children, Knispel needed more flexibility, something she found with
Mississippi Public Radio working as a freelance journalist. Knispel has been
able to work from home, get to know her surroundings, and achieve personal
acclaim.
Her
most memorable piece was interviewing American soldiers who are suffering
through Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. She spoke with soldiers who had been
removed from their wives and children because they were reliving flashbacks
from overseas.
The
lessons that Knispel preached by example were to find personal accounts, tell
people being interviewed that you want to tell their story, and to be human and
sympathize with your interviewee.
“What’s
your best advice for young journalists?” asked an eager student in attendance.
Knispel’s responded with a coy smile and a glimmer of hope for the students.
“Know
that there is no job security, work in all fields, and try to win some awards.”
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