Blaze Lovell '14
Honolulu Civil Beat/Journalist
Blaze Lovell graduated from PCHS in 2014. He covers state government and politics for Honolulu Civil Beat. He grew up in Palisades but moved to Moiliili so he could have his own place and not deal with traffic every morning. Though, he still misses the cool air up in Palisades.
What type of training/education is appropriate for this position?
While most journalists get a Bachelor's degree before joining our ever shrinking workforce, it's work portfolios that employers look at. They want to see published work in either student media, like the college paper, or local TV, radio or the town paper that demonstrates solid news judgement.
What is one piece of advice you would give to current high school students?
We'd all do better by waking earlier, swimming more and reading often. And for our health, hoisting the heaviest object we can and letting it fall on our favorite gaming console or multimedia device. Those infernal machines are fun, but it's nice to disconnect. On weekends, I usually turn my phone off, fling it into a pile of laundry, and forget about it.
What is one thing you wished you knew about your career while you were still in high school?
You don't need a degree in journalism to become a journalist. I've met outstanding reporters with degrees in the environmental sciences, history and English. So feel free to select a major where your passions are. Also, be prepared to put in a ton of work outside of class. I learned more about this profession in my college newsroom than I did in any lecture hall.
Other Advice/Information
I'm fortunate to be where I am. When I was a senior, I got to edit the PCHS paper, The Messenger. In college, I worked my way up to managing editor at UNLV's paper and built up enough clips to be considered for an internship at Civil Beat, where I'm now a staff reporter. Most don't have such a clear path to the major leagues. Jobs in news have been on the decline, which was accelerated by the pandemic. Small town and college papers have been decimated. It was hard for folks getting into the business when I started just a few years ago. It's even harder now. We have less reporters at a time strong journalism is needed most. Whatever you do, don't go timidly. It won't be easy to rebuild the economy in this time we're in.
