News was always part of the background growing up — local news, followed by world news before school, the evening broadcast on television, and newspapers scattered throughout the house. Now, one 2016 South Effingham High School graduate is part of the newsroom herself.
And not just any newsroom. Rylee Kirk recently started a one-year fellowship at The New York Times.
When she saw the call for applications for early-career journalists, she knew she’d have just one shot.
“I thought, ‘Oh boy, I'm running out of time to be considered a new reporter. I should apply to this on a whim, just to see what happens,’” she said. “I did not think that I was going to be selected. When I got an interview, I was shocked. Then I did another interview, and they called me and offered me the fellowship.”
She expects her year at the Times will help her grow as a journalist.
“My hope is that by the end of this year, I’ll have gained new skills that will help me tell better stories, write with more clarity and purpose, and approach reporting with even more thoughtfulness,” she said. “Maybe I’ll learn a new way of writing something or a different angle for approaching a story — things I didn’t pick up in school or on the job yet. Whatever I learn, I just want to use it to do stronger, more impactful work.”
The shaping of a career
Kirk’s path to journalism was shaped by a childhood steeped in news and inspired by a grandfather who championed education and staying informed about the world.
“He was very big into education,” Kirk said. “He didn't get to go to college. He immigrated from Ireland. I remember this giant box of cassette tapes — ‘Hooked on Phonics’ — on how to speak properly, and then I really started reading a lot. I would consume books, and he said, ‘Well, you know, someone has to write what you’re reading.’”
That got her thinking about what went into the creation of books and newspapers. Because her grandfather never did get a computer, her family would mail him things like report cards and school photos. When she got her first computer, she created her own little newspaper to send him.
“He encouraged me to look into the writing side of things, and I liked the idea that journalism can help people,” she said. “They always say, ‘Journalism gives a voice to the voiceless.’ But everyone has a voice — they just need help being heard.”
Armed with inspiration from her grandfather and a foundation laid by her parents, she attended Mercer University and went on to earn a full scholarship to Arizona State University, where she received a master's degree in investigative reporting.
Stepping into the newsroom
Her first job out of school landed her at The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York.
“You start out on the breaking news shift,” she said. “I would wake up at 6 in the morning and turn on the police scanner. For most people, that’s just how you get started in this industry.”
That meant car crashes, house fires, crime scenes — whatever was unfolding in real time, Kirk was there taking notes, observing and turning a story on deadline.
Her approach to difficult stories went beyond the who, what, where, when and why. She wanted to make sure that when someone died — whether in a fire, a shooting or a tragic accident — she told the story of who they were, not just a headline.
“They're not just a statistic,” she said. “It's not just someone was shot and killed on Main Street, and no one knows who they were and what life is missing from the community.”
Initially, Kirk said, she took the job in Syracuse because she had just graduated and needed to make a living. But what kept her there were the people — talking to them and sharing their stories and the stories of their loved ones. Sometimes it was about questioning the official narrative.
It wasn’t long before she realized the responsibility journalists have, whether they are getting the news out or delving deeper into corruption or criminal acts. That responsibility has to be balanced with empathy, she said.
She recalled one story that started when she was reviewing Child Protective Services reports, which provide anonymized information about child deaths.
“I would review those records every week,” she said. “One day, one published, and it was this little girl. A 3-year-old died, and it's completely anonymous — no names, no addresses. This little girl was left at her grandma's house, and somehow she ingested fentanyl and died.”
Kirk was able to track the child’s mother down. She spent several hours listening to how little Malaya loved going to her grandma’s house and getting her hair done. It was several months after her daughter’s death that someone finally told the mother the cause.
“In the middle of the interview, which was on video, I asked, ‘How do you keep Malaya in your heart every day?’” Kirk said. “She told me, ‘I keep her with me every day. She's always with me.’”
Then the mother reached into her purse and pulled out a plastic bag with her baby’s ashes.
“There was a chill in the air,” she said. “This poor mother, who has lost her kid, is carrying her around in a plastic bag.”
After the interview, Kirk uploaded the video to YouTube. In no time, it received more than a million views, and she was inundated with emails from people wanting to help. Eventually, the mother was gifted an urn and a small locket to wear.
“A few months later, grandma and grandma's boyfriend were both charged with criminally negligent homicide,” she said. “I was just happy to tell her story, and have people reach out and get her an urn. And then the conviction — knowing that now someone has been held responsible for this little girl.”
As Kirk earned her spot in the industry, her editors gave her more leeway, clearing her plate of some breaking news to let her dig deeper into stories that needed investigation. That decision by her editors has paid off.
In the past several years, Kirk has brought home several awards for investigative and breaking news reporting from the New York News Publishers Association.
Some stories cut deeper than others and keep her awake at night.
As a breaking news reporter, she often meets people in their worst moments, and being emotionally grounded is essential. Therapy helps, as does setting boundaries — like avoiding true crime shows and cutting off the news after 8 p.m. She finds solace in activities that demand her full focus, like yoga, Pilates or Zumba.
While she has had her share of hard-hitting stories, Kirk said it’s not all doom and gloom. One story she wrote led to a countywide search for a missing dachshund that had just undergone open-heart surgery. Another one she enjoyed — because no one was hurt — was when the Wienermobile caught fire.