By EMILY NOHR
J Alumni News staff
Paula Lavigne became a journalist by accident.
But her love for creativity and the power to hold people accountable has kept her in the business for the past 10 years. She has worked in nearly every medium, too, from print to TV.
Lavigne, a 1998 J school alum, got into journalism in high school — only because of a scheduling problem. An art class was unavailable, so she resorted to enrolling in a beginning journalism course.
After a couple of classes, she knew writing and reporting were what she wanted to do the rest of the life.
When it came time to choose a college, however, she was “really, really undecided.” Several schools ran through her head: Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa — and maybe Nebraska.
She was set on leaving the state, hoping to find new and different experiences.
After talking to a good friend from high school and fellow UNL J school alum Matthew Waite, she “gave Lincoln another look.”
In the end, she said, it was a great decision.
“She wanted to be some dirty, rotten features writer,” Waite said. “She thought she was going to be the next Rolling Stone correspondent who was going to cover the music scene. … It’s somewhat hilarious looking back. ”Still, it was apparent Lavigne had the talent to do any kind of journalism.
“You could tell right away she was smart and aggressive and was going to get anything she put her mind to,” Waite said.
Quick learner
Bud Pagel, a J school professor at that time, also helped Lavigne decide to attend UNL. He noticed her talents almost immediately.
“She was just moving so fast and grasped this stuff so quickly,” he said. “You kind of had to stay out of her way. She was easy to teach.”
Graduating with a degree in news-editorial, Lavigne also took advantage of journalism-related opportunities outside the classroom, too.
“I lived at the DN (Daily Nebraskan),” Lavigne said. “I was there constantly — more than in class, in bed. I loved working at the DN. It was the greatest part of college.”
Lavigne served as editor of the Daily Nebraskan her senior year.
From there, she landed college jobs and internships at The Baltimore Sun, The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Houston Chronicle, The Grand Island (Neb.) Independent and The Sunday Business Post in Dublin, Ireland.
Post-graduation, Lavigne worked at The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., The Des Moines Register and The Dallas Morning News.
She has covered education, city hall, government, growth and demographics, cops and more. Lavigne even tried her hand as a cycling columnist.
From newspapers to television
Today, Lavigne works as a news reporter for ESPN, based in Omaha.
Clearly, she is a jack-of-all-trades in the world of journalism.
While she works for the television side of ESPN, mainly for the show “Outside the Lines,” Lavigne also writes for ESPN.com and assists colleagues across several departments.
Sometimes she works on camera, other times behind the scenes.
“I never had a goal to be in broadcast, but as the overall industry changed, I just thought it was inevitable I pick up another medium,” she said.
Lavigne specializes in computer-assisted reporting, too, and has nearly mastered data analysis and investigative reporting. And she has presented technology-related training sessions to educate others.
Her diversity and knowledge in many areas, Lavigne said, have been valuable.
“I think I’m the only one in the company who has my specific job,” she said with a laugh.
Oddly enough, Lavigne had no experience with sports until she joined ESPN. But for her job, it was not necessary. She writes about fan behavior trends and athletes with legal problems — stories that Lavigne had to seek herself.
And it is that part of her job that makes it just as exciting as when she first started in journalism.
“The best part of what I’m doing now is the moment you’ve dug up something, that’s a home run — when you’ve really landed something.”
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