Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL HomeMinna Sugimoto
Member Center:
msugimoto@hawaiinewsnow.com
Click here for Minna's blog "Behind the YellowTape"
It was just another day in biology class until my teacher turned on the TV set. She didn't say a word as she flipped back and forth between networks before finally settling on one station. For the entire period, we would watch news coverage of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.
I was a high school freshman and, like everyone else, was stunned and saddened. But I also was inspired by the members of the media who worked to provide comprehensive coverage to a nation seeking answers in the face of this tragedy.
I soon began writing for my high school newspaper, the Cougar Connection, and later for my university paper, Ka Leo O Hawaii. Fresh out of college with a broadcast journalism degree in hand, I somehow landed a reporter/anchor position with CNN Radio in Honolulu.
Years later, as a TV news reporter, I still think about the Challenger disaster and am constantly "challenging" myself to put together police and court stories that are clear, accurate and compassionate.
My daughter, Kasey, a high school junior, is a talented writer, much better than I was at her age. When I'm not with her or at work, I'm either on a golf course trying desperately to break 90, or serving as a basketball and softball coach for Special Olympics Hawaii.
>
