Owning Success at DePaul and Beyond

Each year at its Annual Center Awards, the Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence honors one distinguished alum alongside a fellow distinguished journalist and awardee.In their careers, the honorees have worked to represent the principles of the Center—upholding truth, accuracy, fairness, and context during the reporting process.On this special episode of 'So You Want to be a Reporter', co-hosts Carol Marin and Lisa Parker are joined by the 2025 awardees: ABC 7 Chicago’s Stephanie Wade (CMN '16) and Astead Herndon of The New York Times.DePaul graduate student Lina Gebhardt also joins the conversation to explore the awardees’ roots in Chicago, their successes, and their message to the next generation of journalists. Being an early-career reporter takes a lot of work—both Wade and Herndon reflect on those early ups and downs, from college life and camera equipment to creating meaning through their work.***Produced by Lina Gebhardt, music by Lucas Weisman. 'So You Want to be a Reporter' is made possible by DePaul University’s Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence.