LET'S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
This is my Story
When you tell someone you’re a journalist today, they want to know if you work for a particular channel. Based on your answer, they assume you lean left or right. What would the great Walter Cronkite and Ed Bradley think? I became a journalist to give all sides of a story as they did before me. My job is to give you all the facts, from all perspectives, so you can form your own opinion.
“Tell me a story. It’s that easy.” - Don Hewitt
I’m the product of an appendicitis attack. My mom came to New York City from Belgium when she was 19-years-old to learn English. She was set up on a blind date with my dad. Ask my mom and she’ll say she liked him but she was ready to go back home after her month stay. Ask my dad and he’ll say she was hooked. They’ll both tell you as she was about to leave for the airport, she had an appendicitis attack and had to go to the hospital. My dad stayed by her side. They
fell in love and have been together ever since.
I was raised in New York City but hold dual citizenship from the United States and Belgium. I grew up speaking French. Ask a Belgian and they’ll say I’m more American. Ask an American and they’ll say I’m more Belgian. They’ll both say I was always curious. Our tour guide told us on a trip to Cambodia, when I was a kid, that a well for 5 families to use for drinking, bathing and cooking cost 300 dollars. I remember thinking that’s what some people spend on a dinner in the states. I knew in that moment it was a story I wanted to tell. I knew I wanted to become a journalist.
People ask me all the time if I picked TV because it’s more glamorous. I tell them I prefer to tell stories using pictures and words. There’s nothing glamorous about carrying 50 pounds of equipment as a one man band reporter. Eating in your car so that you don’t waste one minute of writing on tight deadline. Voice recording under your sweatshirt in a corner of the airport to get good audio quality as a story develops in front of you. You do it because you love it. You do it because you care. You do it because people’s voices need to be heard.
When I graduated from college, I sent hundreds of applications but nobody called me back. I got into my car and drove from New York City to Miami and knocked on every TV station door passing out my resume. I changed in gas stations and slept in motels on the highway. I kept going until I found a news director who gave me a shot. He told me he had candidates with more experience but he could tell how passionate I was about telling stories.
I’ve been a reporter for 8 years and that hasn’t changed to this day. I could have taken this time to tell you about what school I went to or where I’ve worked but what matters to me is how the people I’ve interviewed have felt after I shared their stories. People with different opinions, on all sides of an issue, agreeing it was fair and balanced.
Here are some of their accounts
From a mother whose 3-year-old son had leukemia. He wasn’t responding to the chemotherapy and needed a bone marrow transplant:
“You put together such a beautiful segment for my family. I love that you told the story through julie. I believe that this really got the word out and lives are going to be saved because of YOU!! We are incredibly grateful...527 people swabbed and about 200 turned away because we ran out of kits!!! We don't even know what to say. It was an incredible day for our family. Thank you to News 12, especially YOU for putting together a story that touched so many hearts.”
From a father whose daughter was the inspiration behind his fight for equality. A school board voted unanimously to address alleged systemic racism in the district:
“Thank you! It truly captured our story. My daughter saw it and was overcome with emotion. It helped her close a painful chapter in her life. Thank you!”
From a scientist working to create fusion energy on earth, the process that powers the sun and the stars:
“Terrific job, Leah! Great story, you really grasped some complex material! You sure you weren't a physics major?
Thanks for a really well done piece!”
From a mental health professional weighing in on gun laws after a string of school shootings:
“My interview on the new mental health-gun law with PBS/NJTV just aired and, once again, it was conducted by a journalist with a lot of professionalism and integrity. Leah Mishkin was committed to getting the facts and story right. She honored my sentiments without any substantive or disingenuous editing. Great to be a part of it and to continue to provide the community with the real psychological science behind all of this.”
From a recovering Chrystal meth addict sharing his story for the first time to help others on the same path:
“Thanks Leah! It was a good experience. I saw the piece and I really enjoyed it...You’re very good at what you do. I felt super comfortable.”
