Jay Stahl, a writer for USA Today, joined the Iowa State community Tuesday for a Black History Month celebration hosted by Tony Moton, assistant teaching professor of journalism.
Moton said he had met Stahl this past summer, and they became immediate friends.
“Jay is what you might call an old soul,” Moton said. “He not only is a great young journalist, but he’s experienced a lot in his life. When you read something of his, you can tell he’s invested whether he’s writing about the Black community or movie stars … I hope the students in attendance learned a lot, I did.”
Stahl began his post-grad work in Wisconsin, holding a position in print media and broadcast television. Realizing it was not the career path he wanted to pursue, Stahl moved to Des Moines, where he soon after began his position as an entertainment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Stahl then transitioned to his current role at USA Today, assuming a similar role to his position at the Des Moines Register.
With a warm welcome from the Moton and the audience, Stahl took a seat at the front of the room, accompanied by displays of past stories, as well as a handful of friends, colleagues and peers in the audience. Stahl began by sharing the story of Des Moines resident Marcus Norris.
“[Norris] was shot in the head at 7 on Chicago’s South Side, and he came to Iowa to heal,” Stahl said.
Stahl detailed Norris’s challenges, achievements and future goals, introducing the crowd to the depth of his writing and research.
Stahl explained that when writing his articles, he often spends hours or even days with people, focusing on building trust rather than getting straight to the point with basic questions or short interviews.
“There’s a level of care [Stahl] brings… we spent a lot of time together.” Chenue Her, an anchor for Good Morning Iowa, said later in the night when reflecting on his own experience with Stahl’s reporting. Her was featured in a story by Stahl in 2022, one year after starting his role as “America’s only Hmong anchorman.”
Stahl discussed two additional stories from his time at the Des Moines Register, one which covered a Black artist in Des Moines who overcame addiction through art, and the second, covering five Black comedians in Iowa and the struggles and joys they face in their line of work. Stahl also covered a series on Iowa influencers, sharing his shock at the attention the series received in comparison to other articles he had written.
With these subjects, Stahl said that he is able to keep biases out of his articles, despite the friendships he creates.
“I am able to remove myself from the situation, I am there to share it,” Stahl said.
After wrapping up a Q&A segment, the night ended with rounds of applause ringing from Hamilton Hall.
This event was sponsored by Greenlee’s new Student Media Leadership Team, a group orchestrated by Moton.
“As soon as the idea came up for a Black History Month celebration, the team jumped right to work and made this event happen,” Moton said. “I want this to be an annual event at Greenlee, but I’m not sure how we’re going to top this first one.”
