NewsChannel 5 reporters Chris Davis and Levi Ismail visited MTSU on Monday afternoon to discuss their careers in media and how they incorporate short-form storytelling through social media.
Ismail is an investigative journalist at NewsChannel 5. He also runs a popular TikTok account, @nashvillenews. MTSU alum Davis moderated the discussion, which emphasized Ismail’s work on his digital platform.
Ismail emphasized the differences between his work at NewsChannel 5 and his personal endeavors with his Nashville News account.
“This isn’t TV,” Ismail said. “It’s been helpful to have people along the way to just kind of say, ‘well, I don’t think of it in terms of TV … I’m just consuming information, and you didn’t give me any information in the first 10 seconds.’”
He also discussed the importance of building a brand in the digital world.
“The more you get into the whole creating a brand, establishing a brand, focusing on social media and establishing a community off of just your storytelling, the more likely it is that people will hire you just based on that alone,” Ismail said.
Having an established personal brand is helpful for a career in journalism and vital for the future of media, Ismail said. Ismail argued that in the next 20 years, the dynamics between television audiences, stations and reporters will change drastically. He theorized that instead of tuning in to specific stations, audiences would instead be inclined to follow specific reporters.
Davis added that the future of television news is still questionable, and younger audiences are gravitating more toward content that is available on their phone.
“The huge, huge, billion dollar question that our bosses will have to figure out is how we can continue to try to meet people where they are,” Davis said. “Are we going to be on people’s TVs in 20 years? Probably not, but who knows if we’re gonna have TVs in that sense in 20 years?”
Ismail and Davis also touched on the importance of work-life balance, especially in an era where people can easily access their phones.
“I know when I was early in the business, I was just, as you know, running and running as much as I can, felt like I needed to,” Davis said. “And I think there is a benefit to that, right? But you can also burn yourself out.”
Ismail added that the mentality it takes to work constantly can be dangerous.
“The reality of the nature of this is that we lose great journalists every day because of that burnout, the mentality of ‘they need something from us all the time,’” Ismail said. “We get stuck in that, and that’s why I try to remind people, find your thing and hold that close, whatever it might be, outside of this news business.”
Although Ismail’s TikTok account is based on his job, he can separate his work at NewsChannel 5 from his online success.
“I just happen to enjoy this thing that I can actually use toward what I do for a living,” Ismail said. “It’s not me just being stuck with work, work, work on my mind all the time, although sometimes that’s what we end up doing.”
Ultimately, Ismail left students on an encouraging note.
“I do hope that everyone just remembers that when we’re talking about the industry, the future in the industry, and all of that, we’re talking about you,” Ismail said. “We’re talking about the stuff that you will one day do.”
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