On the latest episode of The Johngy "OR ELSE" Podcast, Tommy Else and I interviewed Lauren Traut, managing editor at Patch. This interview was about a decade in the making.
I first met Lauren at a south suburban summer fest. She was promoting the Patch news sites. As a longtime veteran of such fests during my many years at Lerner Newspapers, I immediately had respect for Lauren.
I had recently started contributing to the Patch and Lauren was kind enough to give me a tshirt. I started following Lauren's work with the Patch.
I quickly learned how passionate she was for journalism and her communities. Her dedication was impressive. She was a credit to the world of journalism.
I approached Tommy about asking Lauren to join us for an episode, I mentioned her deep love of real journalism. In an age where fast news and superficial stories are the rage, Lauren is old school in all the best ways. She entrenches herself into every community she covers. She earns respect from her readers and the folks she covers, even when they have different opinions. Tommy quickly agreed. We wanted to share Lauren's story with our audience.
Although I briefly chatted with Lauren at that summer fest years ago and occasionally exchanged comments on social media, I never had the opportunity to really talk to her about what drives her. We talked about her start, her career, the current state of media and much more. We also asked Lauren about horses and the Illini, two of her other passions.
Lauren is what every journalist should strive to be. Actually, she is what I wanted to be so many years ago, before my career got sidetracked elsewhere. Tommy and I thank Lauren for her time and consideration. We also thank her for doing what she does so well.
You can watch the episode on our YouTube channel at The Johngy "OR ELSE" Podcast - Ep. 59: Lauren Traut. Also, check out Lauren on the Patch.
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