You know the voices, and you know the stories. But behind every story on WGLT is a person who calls Central Illinois home just like you do.
The Meet the Newsroom series pulls back the curtain to introduce you to the team that makes WGLT possible. The series continues with WGLT reporter and video producer Lizzie Seils, who joined the WGLT newsroom this year after working as a multimedia journalist and evening anchor at 25News/WEEK-TV in Peoria. She's also an Illinois State University grad.
"I always feel like I'm a surrogate for the average person. Someone living in Bloomington-Normal, they might have a family, they might have a home, they have a job, they have other responsibilities, so they might not be able to attend a city council meeting, or they might not be able to take the time to take a deep dive into an important issue. But I can do that for them! And I take that bit of service seriously," Seils said.
Your job title here is reporter and video producer. Can you tell us what that means and what it is that you do every day?
My current role is a nice marriage between radio reporting and my previous TV reporting experience. So about half of what I do is what we'd call typical radio reporting. I'm attending meetings, I'm interviewing sources, I'm writing and editing audio pieces.
But the second half has some of the same steps, but it's all for video instead. So that's a fun challenge because even though they're the same stories on the same topics, the way people understand things when they listen to it versus when they're watching it, it's different. So you have to present the information in a different way, and I really enjoy that part of it.
Why do you work in journalism, and what do you like about it?
That's a fun question because it took me a long time to be able to answer it.
When I just had started out, I couldn't quite put my finger on why I liked it, but as I've gotten a little older, I think it comes down to learning. I really like learning, and I like that I get the opportunity to learn something new every single day.
I always feel like I'm a surrogate for the average person. Someone living in Bloomington-Normal, they might have a family, they might have a home, they have a job, they have other responsibilities, so they might not be able to attend a city council meeting, or they might not be able to take the time to take a deep dive into an important issue.
But I can do that for them! And I take that bit of service seriously, and journalism, especially on the reporting side, kind of makes each day a little different. I'm usually meeting a new person, learning about a new topic, doing something I wouldn't be doing if I was just in an office.
Is there a specific interaction that you've had with a listener that reminded you why public media matters?
I joined WGLT from another Central Illinois newsroom, and people noticed the transition. And so, in my few weeks here, so many people I just encountered out in the field would say something along the lines of, ‘Welcome, we're glad you're here.’ ‘Welcome to the community.’ And it helped me to see how valued public media is in Bloomington-Normal. Our audience really trusts us and cares about who we are, and that's important. And that's also exciting to be a part of a group invested in its community.
If you could force everyone in Bloomington-Normal to listen to or read just one story that we've produced this last year, which one would it be, and why?
I have a touch of recency bias here, but I really think people should listen and read Lauren Warnecke’s deep dive into the ongoing criminal investigation of two Chiddix Junior High teachers. That's a tough story on a difficult topic that is surrounded by intense emotions. And I think she took something that was essentially going around the rumor mill and found its factual origins, and then she kept drilling down until, in my opinion, she kind of got to the heart of it.
And the reader might only see the three stories and however many minutes of audio that came out of it, but she did weeks of work and she had so many tough conversations again about a really difficult topic. She was holding those people to account, and I think that's a great example of the kind of work that WGLT can do for its community.
What's one thing about your daily job that would most surprise a reader or listener who only hears the finished product?
Something that surprised me when I transitioned to WGLT from my other newsroom was that stories really take their time here. You might hear a four-minute radio piece. Well, that took days of work. I was used to a newsroom where stories were just churned out endlessly, and so it's a good thing I think that WGLT kind of lets it breathe, takes its time, goes and gets that one more source if it needs to.
Now, as more of a fun answer, I have to edit a lot of my own noises out of interviews. I didn't really account for this when I was working in TV because the things we made didn't require you having to hear me ask the question. But for instance, when I'm talking with someone, I love to go, ‘Mmhmm, yeah.” I just can't help it, and so I spend a lot of time editing out my little active-listening affirmations that I give to people.
This is WGLT's 60th anniversary, so let's do a prediction. What do you think news media will look like in 60 years? The year 2086.
I will be, God willing, 87 years old in 2086. And in terms of where media would be, I think it depends so much on how we feel about the little devices in our pockets over those next 60 years. My hopeful prediction is that maybe we move away from the 24-hour news cycle, which I understand sounds a little insane coming from a media person, but you can see the emotional and mental impact of that endless news cycle. I think it's not good for people. It's not good for the reporters. I think it's not great to have everything wrong in the world being beamed directly into your eyeballs 24/7 hours a day. So I also hope that in 60 years we might be a little less focused on what is happening, and more on why. Because I think it's easy to chase events, right? But to really look into what's behind them, that's a little more meaningful.
When you aren't at the station, where are we most likely to find you, and what are you doing to unplug?
I actually technically I live with my husband in Peoria right now. We are looking to move more towards Tazewell County. But in my free time, I would say I am absolutely a grandma. I love taking walks. I like meandering through a thrift store or an antique store. When I'm actually at home, I love to crochet. I crochet a lot. I was actually infamous at my previous job for crocheting during commercial breaks on the anchor desk. It’s just a very soothing little activity for me. I'm also, you know, a fan of video games, primarily Nintendo, primarily handheld things. But that's usually how I try to relax.
Let's wrap it up with a speed round. What's the last good book you've read?
To me, I think a good book is one that sticks with me. If I don't remember anything about it a few months later, that didn't necessarily mean much to me.
A few books that really have stuck with me since I've read them: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and The Three-Body Problem series by Liu Cixin. That one's a science fiction, very heavy, tough read. The author gets very technical, but if you can get through that, I think it's a really interesting series.
What's the movie you've seen the most?
I notice this is different from what's your favorite movie, because the movie I've seen the most is probably either Shrek or one of the Star Wars.
Who's your favorite NPR host or reporter?
I have a soft spot for Mary Louise Kelly and for Robin Young. Partially, I just kind of like their voices. They have these wonderful female radio voices that I really appreciate, and I know it the second I hear it.
Let's say you've got out-of-town relatives coming to visit Bloomington-Normal. You've got one day to show them around. Where do you take them to show off the town?
I'm a little lucky in that Bloomington-Normal wouldn't be super foreign to my family. I went to Illinois State University, so they got to visit a couple of times. But I think I would show them the Constitution Trail. It's not the flashiest part of town for sure, but I think it so connects to so many spots along Central Illinois that it's a nice, almost secret back road to the area.
