Belleville News-Democrat adds two new journalists to its team
Dear Readers,
Today I’d like to introduce two new members of the BND staff: Kelly Smits and Joshua Carter.
Both joined our team this summer and are already having an impact.
Kelly is our new education and environment reporter, after a short stint as our summer intern.
Joshua, also known as Carter, is our new visual journalist and a McClatchy/Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow.
You’ve seen their work after just a few short weeks at the BND. Kelly has reported on a free-meal program at metro-east schools, plans to expand Belleville Township High School District 201’s The CAVE and teacher shortages around the region, among other stories. Carter’s still photos and videos helped tell those stories and more, including the reopening of Public Square and the groundbreaking at Arthur Johnson Center in East St. Louis.
You will be seeing much more of their reporting in the weeks and months ahead.
In the meantime, here’s more about our two new staffers, including their thoughts about the work, in their own words:
Kelly Smits
Kelly signed on with the BND after she earned a joint master’s degree in journalism and international affairs, specializing in environmental policy, from Sciences Po, a university in Paris, France. She has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University in Washington. Kelly is from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Kelly already had a track record of reporting on the environment and other topics before she signed on with the BND.
“I plan to bring my academic background and experience in reporting on environmental issues and climate change to this role while expanding my coverage to include another topic I am passionate about: education,” she stated. “Both education and the environment affect everyone in the metro-east, and I’m here to cover it all the best I can.
“For both beats, I want to keep readers informed on important developments that affect them and their loved ones. I also want to hold individuals and institutions in the metro-east accountable for their actions that affect children’s education and people’s environment, which often affects their health and well-being.”
Kelly wants to hear from readers. Everything from feedback to story ideas, she welcomes all input. Among her questions:
What education or environment-related concerns do you have?
What do you think are the biggest educational and environmental issues — and solutions — in the metro-east?
What do you find confusing or want to learn more about related to education or the environment?
“Like all my colleagues at the BND, I am committed above all else to the accuracy and fairness of my reporting. I also strive to find a balance between accountability and empathy, knowing when to exercise each. Finally, I’m always looking to improve. If readers ever want to provide constructive feedback on my stories — questions they had that went unanswered, something I didn’t explain clearly enough or other thoughts — I’m all ears.”
Share your thoughts with Kelly at ksmits@bnd.com
Joshua Carter
Carter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Francisco State University, where he was editor-in-chief of the student news site this past spring. He also worked as a freelance journalist. His specialty is photojournalism, though he also writes stories.
Carter is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He spent part of his youth living in the St. Louis region, including Granite City.
“I was beyond thrilled when I got a call from the editors at the BND telling me they would bring me aboard. Though I was a working photojournalist in San Francisco at the time, the thought of showcasing the beauty and intrigue of the metro-east and St. Louis metropolitan area called me back home,” he said.
“As the newest photojournalist here at the BND, I hope to provide visual components to stories that illustrate what words can’t capture, whether in photos or videos. Without a captivating visual component, deep-impact stories will go overlooked or scrolled-by, which I refuse to let happen. I am always ready for an assignment and make sure to photograph using respect and discretion while creating the least impact possible.”
Like Kelly, Carter wants readers’ feedback and ideas about telling the story of the metro-east in photographs and video.
“I have a lot of energy and am shamelessly a ‘people person,’ so if you see me walking around with a camera (or two, or three) don’t be afraid to say hi, drop a tip about anything you think is important, or give an honest critique of my work.”
You can reach him at jcarter@bnd.com
Their BND partners
Kelly and Carter join a team of BND journalists committed to providing strong local news coverage of the metro-east and across southern Illinois. Do you have an idea for a story, a tip for us to check out or a question about your community? You can contact the newsroom by email at newsroom@bnd.com, or reach out to any of our reporters and editors:
Lexi Cortes, acortes@bnd.com; Todd Eschman, teschman@bnd.com; Jennifer Green, jgreen@bnd.com; Meredith Howard, mhoward@bnd.com; Mike Koziatek, mkoziatek@bnd.com; Ahmad Lathan, alathan@bnd.com; Teri Maddox, tmaddox@bnd.com; or Carolyn P. Smith, csmith@bnd.com.
We would love to hear from you.
And as always, we thank you for reading, and supporting, the Belleville News-Democrat and bnd.com
Jeffry Couch is editor and general manager of the Belleville News-Democrat. You can reach him at 618-239-2551.
This story was originally published September 10, 2023 at 6:30 AM.
