Read Emily's controversial article in The Spectator about the marriage amendment.

Learn more about Emily's writing background on The Spectator website.

Young journalist learns to publish unbiased stories

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Growing up in a small town, attending a private school for 12 years, and having a set of conservative parents may all be reasons junior Emily Hartwig has the biases she does. 

As a print journalism major at UW-Eau Claire, Hartwig learns how to keep her personal biases and opinions separate from her writing. 

Hartwig said she first decided she wanted to become a journalist after taking a journalism course her junior year of high school.  After that class, Hartwig worked on her school’s yearbook staff and became an editor for her high school’s newspaper. 

At Eau Claire she writes for the campus newspaper, The Spectator.  For three semesters she worked as a copy editor, Money/Health editor, and now the photo editor.  Hartwig has written 58 articles for The Spectator. 

Hartwig feels holding all of these different positions gives her a well-rounded writing experience early on in her career. 

The Spectators news editor, Nathaniel Shuda spoke highly of Hartwig, when he said, “Emily brings to the table the ability to combine so many different aspects of journalism to come up with a professional product.” 

Hartwig worked at the local Eau Claire newspaper, The Leader-Telegram, for one semester.  She also had a summer internship at the Baraboo News Republic in Baraboo, WI.

Particularly in the area of public affairs reporting Hartwig had experience at these three newspapers writing news briefs and accident and crime reports, attending city council meetings and contacting political candidates and committees. 

Hartwig thinks people need to know about public affairs, and while it isn’t her first choice to write about, she said it’s her duty as a journalist to report on those kinds of issues. 

“It’s one thing to report on public affairs, but it’s not gonna matter unless you show how it affects people,” she said.

Hartwig said she considers herself moderate, but leans conservative.  She feels her Christian Lutheran faith has guided her political thoughts.  Hartwig also said she enjoys writing editorials because they give her the opportunity to share more of her personal thoughts. 

“If you ask her to write an opinionated article, she’ll give you an opinion,” Hartwig’s roommate Michelle Voigt said.

Hartwig wrote stories in the past two years that have showcased her opinion.  This sharing of opinion in a public newspaper stirred up disagreeing readers.  She received nine reader comments on her article about the marriage amendment, and four on her death penalty article.

In the spring of 2006, while working as a copy editor for The Spectator, Hartwig was one of five girls that protested “The Vagina Monologues.”  Reporter for The Spectator, Brian Reisinger, wrote an article about this protest and how Hartwig’s involvement could affect her career as a journalist. 

Nathaniel Shuda was on staff when this protest took place.  He remembers everyone at the Spectator looking over the issue, and said Hartwig was restricted as to what topics she could write about for a while following the protest. 

Looking back, Hartwig said she doesn’t regret the protest, but that she learned how to be a better journalist from the experience.  Her roommate, Voigt said she used to be able to tell what Hartwig’s biases were. 

She said now, “Emily does a good job keeping her personal life separate.”

Shuda agreed when he said it has gotten a lot harder to decipher exactly what Emily’s biases and opinions are.  He said, “She has grown and matured as a reporter and a journalist.”

Hartwig feels that going to college and being exposed to more in the world allows her to form her own opinions. She said her experience as a journalist caused her to alter some of her beliefs because it enables her to talk with and learn more about political figures. 

Hartwig said she plans on continuing to learn from her experiences and become an even better journalist.