Kristin Quinn: Working in a Man’s World

Oswego State alumni Kristin Quinn, now a defense reporter in Washington D.C., faces difficulties as a woman covering topics in what many people inaccurately consider to be a man’s world: the military.
 
Quinn moved to D.C. after she received her M.A. in magazine, newspaper and online journalism from Newhouse at Syracuse in 2009.  Her roommate during her undergrad years at Oswego State persuaded her to move to D.C. because job prospects were better out there, due to the recession. Without any other prospects on her radar, she took the plunge and landed herself a career in her chosen profession.
 
But let’s rewind a little bit. During her time at Oswego State, Quinn took advantage of every journalism opportunity available to her, and encourages current students to do the same. After receiving a presidential scholarship, Quinn began working at The Oswegonian, Oswego State’s weekly student-run newspaper. She began as a staff writer her freshman year, then worked her way up to the title of Arts & Entertainment editor, which was then known as “Laker Life.” With her strong work ethic and determination to keep advancing, Quinn eventually landed the position of managing editor, where she was in charge of the daily operations of the newspaper and the opinion section.
 
Quinn didn’t limit herself to the newspaper while on campus though. Knowing she needed as much experience as she could muster, Quinn became a writing tutor, worked in the dining halls for some extra cash and interned at Oswego, the school’s alumni magazine.
 
“That gave me a lot of good magazine experience while I was still an undergrad,” says Quinn.
 
After her internship with Oswego, she was offered a part-time position as an editorial assistant. Here she was able to gain experience writing news briefs and feature stories, and she wrote the cover story when Al Roker visited campus to dedicate the new WTOP television studio in 2007.
 
Now, let’s fast forward back to the present. Quinn currently works as a defense reporter for Gannett Government Media, a smaller company of Gannett Media Company.  She writes for the Training & Simulation Journal and the C4ISR Journal, both owned by Gannett Government Media.  As a defense reporter, she writes about various military aspects, such as military technology, military training, aerospace and cyber security.
 
“I think that most journalists, they know a little bit about many subjects, always good at trivia,” says Quinn. “One of the most important skills a journalist learns is how to quickly become an expert on any subject. I’ve written about everything from festivals and poetry slams to Air Force Space Command satellites and high-speed digital printing presses. Journalists get to take a glimpse of many different aspects of life and business, which is pretty exciting.”
 
Working in the journalism industry has its ups and downs, admits Quinn. But her favorite part of the job is putting all of the pieces of a story together.  She enjoys making an outline of her work and seeing the details come together piece by piece until it’s finally a finished product for the public to absorb.
 
“It’s kind of like fitting a puzzle together,” says Quinn.  “I really like the feeling when you are able to connect all the dots.”
 
On the down side, being young, and a female, makes it harder for her to succeed.  In general, working in a male-dominated profession makes her want to, and sometimes have to, work harder to prove that she is good at her job and qualified for the position.
 
“It’s making way for other women though, so it’s worth it to me,” she says.
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Although she couldn’t imagine herself anyplace else, Quinn did not always see herself becoming a defense reporter.  Instead, she preferred writing about people, specifically women’s issues.  In respect to her former beat, Quinn has begun freelancing for Syracuse Woman, an up-and-coming magazine that her friend edits.
 
“No matter what I’m writing about, I really like all the different people I get to meet,” says Quinn.  “Even if this isn’t what I thought I would be doing, I learn so much.”
 
In order to be a good writer and journalist, Quinn believes everyone needs to pay their dues and experience something they may never have thought about doing before.
 
“You can be thrown into any subject area and you can make yourself an expert, at least enough so that you can write about it,” she says.
 
In the end, Quinn admits she’s happy where she is now, no matter how she got there. She’s resolved to stay in this profession, although it may not always be as a defense reporter.
 
“Where the industry is going to go, it’s hard to say,” she says.  “People are always going to need content no matter how that is delivered, so I definitely don’t see myself going away from the industry.”
 
We don’t see her disappearing anytime soon, either.