Interview with Erin Cox

Erin Cox grew up in Cache Valley and graduated from Utah State University with her Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communications. While at USU, Cox worked with the IOGP and began her career in reporting. She received an Emmy Award for her work investigating sexual assault cases at USU and is the youngest reporter to interview the current President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The first time she reported on live television in the place of her professor, the story was picked up by Fox national news and the rest is history. Cox currently works as a reporter for Fox 13 and continues to win awards and inspire viewers through her work. 

1.  What are some of the most important things students can do to make connections in college that last?

"Making real connections is all about being a real person. Take interest in people, be kind, be genuine. I didn’t make connections to make connections, I simply got to know people and enjoyed their company. I’d say I’m different than most people because I don’t really look at things as “networking opportunities.”  I love hearing people and their stories and that’s how you make lasting connections — really caring about who you’re talking to, more than just another person to add to your resume." 

2.  What helped you the most to establish good relationships with your professors?

"Hard work. All relationships require effort. When my professors told me how to improve, I asked for more feedback and then I implemented it—I showed I was listening to them and implementing their advice. As a student journalist, we would shoot one story a week and receive critique. After critique, I would take all of the suggestions and re-edit my piece, so I knew what it should have looked like and so I could put something nice on my resume. The other thing I did as a college student: I treated my education like my first job in the market. That mentality made all the difference for me—it made it so I wasn’t just making things for a school project. I was making something that would be the next stepping stone in my career." 

3.  What can you say to students struggling to find “their purpose”? Or what interests them?

"Don’t put parameters on what you can become. You don’t have to know what your dream job is today, because what if the opportunity hasn’t presented itself? Your purpose is to become someone more than it is to do something. Yes, those things can go hand in hand, but the most important part of what you do is who it helps you become. Not to sound cliche, but the purpose is to “be you” and to “find you” through your work. When I returned to Utah State after church mission service in Hong Kong China, I really struggled to “fit in” and feel like I could find purpose. I was already working to become a newspaper journalist but found that I was not enjoying it. I remember taking a broadcast journalism class because of a requirement but had absolutely no interest in ever being on TV. I looked into a few different options that fall semester but wasn’t finding anything. As I reflected on the semester, I realized I was happiest while working in the broadcast journalism class. I felt a true joy filming and editing stories. That’s why I ultimately chose broadcast because I liked who I was becoming. USU and the IOGP have so many incredible experiences for you to participate in—so take them. My minor was in political science and I was privileged to work in the U.S. Senate through an IOGP internship — one of the best experiences of my college experience. I was really nervous that I had not gone the traditional route with a news internship. Nearly four years later, I have great relationships with the many people I rubbed shoulders within Washington D.C., contacts that have given me extra insight as a journalist. Don’t feel constrained or “lost” if you have not yet “found purpose,” because ultimately the purpose is you and who you are becoming. A degree and education is just another road to get you there." 

4.  What is it like on a daily basis to be a reporter/journalist? 

"Every morning, there is an editorial meeting with our producers and I pitch multiple stories I have worked on to put in our evening newscast. Once a story is agreed upon, there’s a lot of calls to be made and interviews to set up. The pandemic has changed whether or not we actually go and do interviews in-person. It has also changed how I do interviews in the sense that I have been my own camerawoman, editor, and writer — I do everything and have for the past 30 or so weeks of this pandemic. I often joke I get paid to talk to myself because I am the one who sets up the camera! After interviews are completed and the b-roll is shot, I sit down and listen through my interviews, writing down word for word what they say. Then, based on the information provided in the interview, I write my TV script and submit it to my producers. I then edit the TV piece and write the web article. It’s a lot of work. Being a one-woman show allows you to really take ownership of a piece and I love that. That’s what a look at the daily schedule, but what is it like to be a reporter or journalist? It is to seek truth constantly. It’s not a job that you come home from, it’s more of a lifestyle. I am always looking for stories through social media and community groups. It is also to recognize your place as a facilitator more than a commentator — some journalists make it their job to share their opinion, I make it my job not to. My job is to facilitate a learning experience by disseminating information and letting people decide for themselves what they believe."