See the upcoming schedule of TV-10 programming to find Megan's show "It's U We C" on the UW-Eau Claire Housing and Residence Life Web site.

Check out the history of Megan's parents' small business, Sargent’s Nursery, Inc.

Aspiring television anchor puts biases aside at TV-10

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Junior Megan Peterson takes public affairs reporting all in stride. With four full semesters of experience at TV-10, the UW-Eau Claire student television organization, and despite a handful of personal biases, Peterson’s friends said she has a promising career.

“She has a lot of energy,” roommate and junior Mattie Washa said. “She’s a crowd-pleaser. I can see a lot of people liking to watch her.”

Peterson has a “perfect face” for television, agreed Ashley Gansluckner, and will do well because of her charismatic personality. Gansluckner attended school with Peterson from kindergarten to the present, and is now a junior at UW-Eau Claire.

“Everyone in town has always known that she’s going to go far and be successful,” said Gansluckner, referring to the town of 604 people – Plum City, Wis. – where the pair attended school.

Senior Stephen Kelley, the executive producer and anchor for “It’s U We C” on TV-10, hired Megan two years ago as a reporter for his program.

Stephen Kelley (Photo by Mike Dorsher)

“She seemed very confident,” he said of his reason for hiring her, adding that she has a good attitude.

As her boss – though they are now co-anchors and producers of the show – Kelley said Peterson always tries to improve. She advanced from reporter to sports reporter to her current leadership position.

Yet Peterson didn’t always know what she wanted to do with her life. She said she “fell into” broadcast journalism.

“I just kind of jumped into it,” she said, “and as I’ve been in college, I’ve grown to love that profession even more, and I know that’s what I want to do.”

All of Peterson’s public affairs experience comes from her job at TV-10. She said public affairs are “any affair that affects people” – but more specifically, politics and how it affects people.

Peterson said politics is one area of reporting that is a challenge for her, since she doesn’t have a lot of experience in it.

“Big words scare me,” she said with a smile, adding that since her political science class was over her head, she finds such a huge topic daunting. Yet she said it won’t stop her from giving such reporting a try. 

“One thing that’s kind of exciting about reporting [is] I feel like I can tell people the basics,” she said.

For example, Peterson said she’d like to interview a political figure and then explain the story to people so they’d understand it – without using “big words.”

Besides appearing on-camera for TV-10, Kelley said Peterson’s job involves finding stories and writing scripts for the show. Peterson said she re-wrote and presented stories about politics during her tenure at the station.

One thing that she noticed, however, is that students don’t always seem to care as much about those types of topics.

But this makes her job even more important, she said.

“If we tell them, they’ll start caring more,” Peterson said. “...If we explain it in a way that they might understand, it might not be so over some people’s heads.”

“...And I can have a part in that, in making them care.”

Part of her job at TV-10 is to emphasize the fact that certain issues are important and people should start caring, Peterson said.

Half the stories the TV-10 anchors read on the newscast are national and have at least some political angle, Peterson said. For example, in the script for last Wednesday’s show, which Peterson helped write, four out of the 10 stories can be considered public affairs. One discussed an arrest two hours from Eau Claire of a man with possible terrorist links, and another referred to tensions in the Middle East.

Every time Peterson anchors, Kelley said at least two or three of her stories could be considered public affairs. For example, he said Peterson covered city council votes last year, like when the fire department received new engines.

As for her biases, Peterson has a few admitted preferences.

Her political leanings vary from topic to topic, but those who know her said Peterson is definitely liberal – though she defines herself as moderate. Many of these views come from her tight-knit family, which is her “top priority,” Peterson said.

“Anything that has to do with them, I tend to stick with and feel strongly about,” she said.

For example, Peterson said she advocates small businesses, since her family owns a landscaping business called Sargent’s Nursery, Inc. Since the business has been in her family for 75 years, Peterson said little issues that affect it are a big deal – so in that respect, she said she is more conservative.

But in another family-related topic, Peterson said she supports gay rights because she has a homosexual uncle.

“The fact that he’s gay matters so much to me, [and it] makes me want him have the same rights I do,” she said.

Both Washa and Gansluckner said gay rights is an extremely important issue to Peterson, which is part of the reason why they define their friend’s political leanings as “liberal.” Washa said one example of Peterson’s strong feelings is how she always tells people not to say the word “gay” in inappropriate situations.

Another facet of Peterson’s life that could be considered a bias is her religion.

“It’s definitely not something she hides,” Gansluckner said of her friend’s faith.

Peterson said she grew up in a Methodist church and believes strongly that a Christian should accept all people, just as God does. She participated in an ecumenical youth group and contributes to services with her musical abilities, Peterson said.

Yet even though she admitted being Methodist might push her toward a politically conservative standpoint, Peterson said she still puts herself right in the middle.

Still, when it comes down to the whole gamut of political issues, Peterson said she doesn’t feel educated enough to form a firm opinion.

“I have a hard time saying I’m ‘this’ because I change my mind so often,” she said when asked about being liberal or conservative.

Peterson said her lack of strong opinions on most points probably helps her reporting career, since she doesn’t have to worry much about keeping strong opinions out of her reporting.

And so far, TV-10 has not assigned her a topic she feels strongly about. But when such a situation arises, Gansluckner said Peterson will overcome her personal biases and simply report the story at hand.

“She would find the most correct way of just giving the facts and not any opinion,” she said, adding that Peterson would be fair and “put her personal thoughts aside.”

Kelley agreed, saying that Peterson doesn’t let her biases show in her reporting on TV-10.

Peterson said she hopes this course and her future assignments in public affairs will help her become a more educated person in such issues.  Interviewing experts and officials – not just students – will also give her a more well-rounded experience, she said.

“I hope that as I do more reporting – if I get to do public affairs, [or a] political beat – maybe I’ll form my own opinions more strongly,” Peterson said. She said she’ll hear more of every side by interviewing people and can then form personal opinions on issues.

While public affairs reporting is not her first choice of a beat, Peterson said she sees the assignment as “a learning experience.”

And Peterson will probably have many more such experiences before she leaves Eau Claire. Kelley said he plans to hand Megan the TV-10 show after he finishes this year, adding that he is confident she will do a good job.