MANSFIELD — If you had asked me five years ago whether I’d end up in Mansfield, I probably would have said no.
Now, I’m thrilled to be back and joining the team here at Richland Source. Tracy Leturgey has taken the reins at our Ashland bureau, so I’ll be picking up where she left off as Richland County’s features, business and economic development reporter.
As a kid growing up in Richland County, I told myself I’d never move back. That was before I realized just how much our area had to offer. I have journalism to thank for that change in perspective.
At 16, I began working as a freelance journalist for my hometown newspaper in Bellville. During my two years there, I interviewed a clan of cloggers, a military intelligence officer and a family fighting childhood cancer with resiliency and grace — all of whom called the Clear Fork Valley home.
While I was diving into a plethora of stories in Bellville, a renewed sense of community pride was brewing just up the road in Mansfield. People started talking about the revitalization of downtown, in part because Richland Source offered free, accessible coverage of all the great things occurring there.
During my time at Asbury University, a small college situated amid the horse farms of central Kentucky, Richland Source was my go-to for news about what was going on at home.
After graduation, I moved back to Bellville and became a freelance correspondent for Richland Source. I spoke with individuals and organizations dedicated to bettering the lives of those around them, whether it be by providing arts education, spearheading new community events or raising funds for families in need.
As I saw people helping each other and brainstorming solutions, I thought, this is what journalism should be about.
Good journalism tells the whole story, that includes what we’re doing well and ways we can grow and improve. Good journalists do their work for the community, but also with the community — listening, engaging and responding to its needs.
Speaking of community, I’d encourage you to get out and engage with ours. If being a journalist has taught me anything, it’s that the world is full of fascinating people and wonderful experiences, if only we’re willing to seek them out.
When I’m not reporting, you might catch me singing in the soprano section of the Mansfield Symphony Chorus, helping out in Mosaic Mansfield’s church nursery, practicing my Spanish or taking a walk through one of our local parks.
It’s been seven years since I saw my first byline, and I still believe that journalism should be a vehicle by which ideas are shared and communities are empowered to make change happen.
With that in mind, I hope you’ll feel free to reach out to me any time with story ideas, questions or just to say hello. I’m just an email away at katie.ellington@richlandsource.com.
