About Meg Wagner

When I entered J-school at the University of Florida four years ago, I was determined to become a serious print-news reporter. With a passion for the tangibility of newspapers, I envisioned myself spending my life covering city commission meetings, press pass in hand, and furiously writing stories on deadline for the next day’s paper.

But during my time at UF, I’ve learned that journalism isn’t defined by the scent of newsprint or the thickness of the Sunday paper. It’s about storytelling and relaying information in the quickest, most compelling way possible.

While I am still obsessed with the world of journalism,  my love for newspapers has morphed into a love for digital media.

I’m proud of my writing and reporting background, grounded in traditional media. My romance with journalism began early. I spent my high school years working for my school’s newspaper. While the content may have been shallow and the copy riddled with style errors, the stories I wrote as a 14-year-old broke me out of my shell. I talked to students outside of my clique and developed the guts to cold-call school board members whom I’d never met.

I’ve worked as a writer for The Independent Florida Alligator, the nation’s largest student newspaper, as the news desk intern for the UF News Bureau and as a reporting intern for The Gainesville Sun.

But while my foundation may be that of a traditional reporter, I’m excited by the changes in digital media. Last year, I worked as a producer in the University of Florida’s ABC News on Campus bureau, where I produced in-depth text stories and videos for ABCNews.com. I’ve also interned with the New York Times Regional Media Group, which oversaw the digital production, advertising and marketing for more than a dozen New York Times Company newspapers.

After spending a summer interning for NBCNews.com’s Breaking News, I’m now working as a part-time editor for the site. I select and edit content for the website and its mobile applications, making editorial decisions quickly and distributing breaking news in real time. I’m also proud to be serving a term as the president of UF’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

I’ve accepted a summer fellowship with News21, a Carnegie-Knight initiative headquartered at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. The program brings young journalists together to pursue investigative reporting projects through multimedia. This summer’s assignment will focus on post-9/11 veterans reentering into civilian life.

When I’m not in the newsroom, I enjoy painting, watching hockey and playing with my dog, Vonnegut.

Feel free to email me at megwagner4719@gmail.com with questions, comments, story ideas,  job offers, awesome recipes, tips on great sales or general chit-chat.