On Oct. 5, Christian Eby, a sportswriter for The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.) visited Mr. Whitfield’s Journalism classes.
After some brief introductions, Eby fielded numerous questions from the students about his career and his interests and offered advice about writing to the students.
Eby, in his third year as a professional reporter, made sure to tell the students that he feels like he is still learning a lot every day, especially covering sports that are a little new to him such as field hockey and lacrosse.
Junior Quade Boden asked Eby if there was any specific game that stood out among the countless games he has covered. After mentioning some thrilling state championship field hockey games from 2022, he also noted how lucky he was to cover the exciting West Perry versus Trinity football game a few weeks earlier.
Colorado Conrad, a sophomore, asked why Eby decided to pursue high school sports over collegiate or professional sports. Eby said, “the community aspect is my favorite element of my job.” He noted that there are a lot of reporters covering the same stories at the higher levels, but by covering these small, tight-knit communities, he is able to tell unique and important stories that matter to the smaller towns.
Finally, Eby was asked by Jacob Van Orden about what qualities make for a successful journalist. Eby explained that journalists need to, “be ethical. Being transparent, with sources and who you’re talking to, is most important.” He also said that being passionate and giving every story your best is very important.
By visiting these students, Eby was able to provide a real-life look into the work of a journalist, including his crazy work schedule; most days he works 2pm to midnight, but there are several weekends where he covers events that start as early as 8am.
