JENNIFER K. PERKINS
Multimedia Journalist
"Take a feather and tickle the foot of a giant."
- Tickling Giants, 2016 Documentary
Jennifer is a multimedia journalist who writes the first draft of our community's history.
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ABOUT
ABOUT ME
Hello, I am Jennifer K. Perkins.
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I currently serve as News Director for WYMT-TV, a CBS affiliate television station located in Hazard, KY.
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Before making the transition to broadcast television, I spent several years working in the print industry and was published in numerous outlets throughout Kentucky.
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My love for journalism stems from my love of history. I believe that journalists are responsible for writing the first draft of history, and I strive to do my part by reporting events and stories as accurately as possible while also trying to include the humanity of the people who are living through the events.
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As a college student, I was introduced to the documentary "Tickling Giants." From my first viewing, I was inspired by Bassem Youseff's courage and have taken to heart the quote, "Take a feather and tickle the foot of a giant." While I work to build relationships within the community, I feel that it is important to not only tell the positive stories of a community, but also report the negative stories.
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After writing several investigative reporting pieces at EKU, I developed a passion for investigative journalism.
WHAT I'VE DONE
WYMT-TV, Hazard, KY
News Director – February 2023 to Present
Producer – April 2022 to February 2023
The News Journal, Corbin, KY
People Editor and News Reporter – December 2020 to April 2022
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The Times-Tribune, Corbin, KY
Kentucky Press Association
Internship – Summer 2020
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The Washington Island Observer,
Washington Island, WI
International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Internship – Summer 2019
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The News Journal, Corbin, KY
Kentucky Press Association
Internship – Summer 2018
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The Eastern Progress, Richmond, KY
Editor in Chief – Fall 2019, Spring 2020
News Editor – Spring 2018, Spring 2019
Opinions Editor – Fall 2017
Newspaper Deliverer – Spring 2018
WHAT I DO
I am a self-sufficient multimedia journalist with experience in writing, pagination, photography, social media coordination, social engagement campaigns and video.
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I also have extensive knowledge of the Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings Acts. I have filed appeals with the Kentucky Attorney General utilizing both acts on separate occasions. I have filed numerous Freedom of Information Act Requests (FOIAs), and I've used the information I received to write award winning investigative stories.
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Working as a professional journalist, I have experience writing breaking news articles, feature stories, columns and editorials.
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I have experience covering a variety of topics such as businesses, district, circuit and federal court, crime, education, festivals, government, protests, race/diversity, sports, and more.
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I have experience working with the Adobe Creative Suite. I am proficient in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier Pro, After Effects and Acrobat. I also have limited experience working with Dreamweaver.
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In my day-to-day work, I utilize and am proficient in Microsoft Office and Outlook.
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I am also familiar with and have used Buffer, Hootsuite, Inshot, Slack, Dropbox and Google Drive.
FOIAs & APPEALS
I have filed FOIAs while working at The News Journal, The Eastern Progress, The Times-Tribune and The Sentinel Echo. I have filed a successful Open Meetings appeal with the Kentucky Attorney General.
Filed against the Eastern Kentucky University Board of Regents Kentucky Attorney General decision 18-OMD-091
Throughout the process of covering the Colonel's Cupboard, I filed multiple FOIA requests after it was discovered the organization had discarded two trash bins worth of food that was not expired.
The EKU Board of Regents received championship rings during a lunch prior to a board meeting. I filed a request relating to the cost of the rings.
PHOTOGRAPHY
I have had photos published at The News Journal, The Times-Tribune, The Sentinel Echo, The Washington Island Observer, and The Eastern Progress. Eastern Kentucky University's student scholarship and research site, Encompass, hosts my Honors Thesis.
For the 2020 News Journal Community Directory, I was responsible for the front page photos and the related article inside the magazine.
The A-1 photo package featuring images from Corbin's first Colonel Fest were all taken by me during while covering the event.
A1 photo for the Fourth of July issue of the Washington Island Observer.
DESIGN
I have completed design work at The News Journal, The Eastern Progress, and the Washington Island Observer using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I have also created graphics utilizing Microsoft Excel and Canva.
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In addition to design for media publications, I have also designed Google Classroom user guides for a local teacher and designed a 46-page magazine as my honors thesis at Eastern Kentucky University.
To incorporate social media users content into our print issue, I designed the section front of the Sept. 8, 2021 issue of the News Journal, which includes social media user responses, a news article, a cartoon, and other graphic elements.
The News Journal received a letter from Santa stating Newsy would be arriving Dec. 1, 2021.
The Eastern Progress
The Eastern Progress
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers were required to convert content to online formats. Laurel County Schools used Google Classroom, an online format that many students had not previously used. I created a tutorial to help students submit assignments.
VIDEO &
AUDIO
I produced video and audio clips at The News Journal, The Times Tribune, and The Eastern Progress using Adobe's Premiere Pro, Adobe Spark, Headliner, Videolicious and Knightlab.