John Patishnock | June 9, 2010
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| Courtesy photo |
| Jonathan Hiskes |
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The Seattle-based, nonprofit environmental news website has been operating for the last decade and focuses on solution-oriented news, commentary and advice.
Staff writer Jonathan Hiskes, MA ‘08, has been writing for Grist for a year and a half. He knows his audience typically is environmentally-conscious people who tend to agree with his views, but he always looks to expand his audience by using a conversational tone and cultivating a readership.
“People want a personal voice and someone that they can get to know and identify with, and less a general voice that comes from an institution,” Hiskes told students in Professor Emerita Carol Polsgrove’s J501 Public Affairs Reporting during a phone conversation Monday.
Working in a part of the country that is three hours behind the East Coast doesn’t hinder the work, Hiskes said. Instead, the news gap forces him to look for fresh news or offer a unique perspective on news items that have already been covered by a number of media outlets.
Hiskes begins his day by reading through a multitude of RSS feeds and blogs, keeping an eye out for local stories across the country that can serve as a guide for how people can implement sustainable initiatives in their lives.
One example is his recent article focusing on 10 things cities and towns can do to become less dependent on offshore oil. In Hiskes’ view, it’s easier and more efficient to offer simple solutions his readers can employ in their everyday lives.
“It’s important to show people that they can be sustainable and also improve their quality of life at the same time,” Hiskes said, adding that news often is easier to absorb when it also offers suggestions rather than only dire predictions or warnings. “You don’t want to turn people away.”
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