LPM News is welcoming a new breaking news reporter. Sylvia Goodman, who grew up in Louisville, starts April 4.
Sylvia, a graduate of Northwestern University, comes most recently from the Chronicle of Higher Education in Washington, D.C., and has previously interned at Chicago Public Media, the Chicago Tribune and the Courier Journal in her hometown.
Get to know Sylvia in the interview below, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What makes you most excited to join Louisville Public Media?
I have been looking for a reason to come back and serve the community I grew up in since I began my career. I was also particularly moved to transition into public media because of its unparalleled accessibility to the full community.
You’re from the area but have spent time away during school and your career. What are you looking forward to about coming home?
While I’ve had the opportunity to work in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Louisville was where I had my first bylines. It’s the city where I learned to be a reporter. Louisville has changed so much just over the course of my lifetime, and I’m so excited to see how it’s grown in the few short years I’ve been away.
Much of your background is in print and digital journalism. How do you hope audio will amplify your reporting?
There’s nothing quite like hearing the emotion in someone’s voice directly. I still love writing, but there’s so many times I have wished my readers could hear a person’s words exactly as I heard it. Audio as a news medium has the amazing ability to allow our sources to speak unfiltered and place the listener in the middle of the scene. I’m excited to continue exploring and learning its ins and outs.
What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
I love going to karaoke with friends, and during the pandemic I also picked up roller-skating. When I need to de-stress, I enjoy starting (and occasionally finishing) extremely complicated cross-stitching and embroidery projects.
Are you mourning the end of winter or looking forward to spring?
By the end of whichever season I’m in, I’m always looking forward to the next one. I’m over winter and am looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms in Washington right before heading home to Louisville.
What are you currently watching/reading?
I’m watching “The Last of Us” and just started the third season of “The Mandalorian” — basically anything with Pedro Pascal. As for reading, I just finished “The Houseguest: And Other Stories,” a translated short story collection by Amparo Dávila.
What is your favorite unwritten rule or hottest take about Louisville and its culture?
My favorite unwritten rule is that one should never assume another Louisvillian’s team. Talking trash about either the University of Louisville or the University of Kentucky is the quickest way to end a budding friendship. Approach all college sports-related topics with extreme caution. (As an objective journalist, I will not be divulging my own affiliations.)