Anne Mostue, '03, Reporter/Producer at WGBH
What's been your career path?
I report local, Boston-area news for Boston’s NPR/PBS station. Most of my career has been in public radio, but I occasionally report for television now, too. It’s a dream job for me. Every day I’m exploring the city, meeting new people and sharing interesting, useful stories. About a third of what I cover is breaking news, another third is assigned by my editors and the final third is whatever is of interest to me. I schedule and conduct my interviews, do research, edit sound and mix stories for air on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. A few times a year, my work airs national on NPR and sometimes internationally on the BBC.
I wrote for The Wellesley News but didn’t plan on a career in journalism. I knew I wanted to write and to travel. After Wellesley I spent a year as a volunteer social worker in Alaska, then decided I really wanted to become a reporter. In graduate school at Boston University, a professor recommended I try radio, and I fell in love. I started at Maine Public Radio, in Bangor, ME, then got an offer at New England Public Radio (the station for Western Mass, Southern Vermont, Northern Connecticut), then came to WGBH. I worked my way up the ladder with the hope of coming to Boston and staying. It’s been a lot of hard work and long hours. I’m very grateful to have landed.
How did your English major prepare you for your career?
Where do I begin? Writing is the most important part of my job, especially writing clearly and concisely. I also spend a lot of time researching and, frankly, thinking. All of that is basically what I did at Wellesley for four years. I am so grateful that my professors encouraged me to be analytical, inquisitive and to ask why people/characters do what they do. I also learned to be a good listener, and to be comfortable speaking up in a crowded press conference.