Sitting Down with NYT Journalist Sapna Maheshwari
Maheshwari, an alumna from my own high school, spoke to me about how to get started in the world of journalism
ELHS alumna Sapna Maheshwari successfully landed a job at the New York Times as a business journalist. She famously won a Front Page Award from the Newswomen's Club of New York in 2015 for reporting on the unethical practice of on-call shifts at retailers, such as Victoria's Secret. She recently was featured on Netflix documentary ‘White Hot,’ about the rise and fall of Abercrombie & Fitch. Her career path took her from Editor in Chief of The Viking Saga to NYT.
ES: What is it like working at The New York Times?
SM: “It’s fun, fast paced and a lot of work. It’s amazing to work for because we have a huge readership and it carries a lot of weight. I can get people to stop what they’re doing and answer questions because it’s The New York Times. There is a lot of freedom and it is a really reporter-driven publication. The Times considers the reporters the experts on what they write about. Reporters are constantly checking in with the editors, but they're really the ones in charge. It can be quite daunting with the high expectations, but it is also really fun. I have become a much better writer since working at The Times. I get my story ideas through publicist reports, talking to people in the industry that I met over the years through interviews, social media, and friends; it really comes down to communicating with people and discussing issues of the day.”
ES: Why did you decide to pursue journalism?
SM: “In high school, I really liked writing and talking to people. It seemed like journalism was an interesting career for me to look into because it combined my interests. I definitely did not have my whole future mapped out; I did not have it planned the way it went. The Viking Saga was my first reporting job and I loved it. From there, I found a summer program at NYU after my senior year in high school. I met a lot of professional journalists and aspiring young journalists as well, like myself. It helped me see that it was an area I wanted to pursue. The college I attended, UNC Chapel Hill, has a great journalism program, but was also a great choice in case I decided I didn’t want to be a journalist after all. I double majored in journalism and political science because it offered opportunities to me in case I decided I wanted to go to law school after all. By double majoring, it gave me a chance to exercise different parts of my brain and learn more about politics and theory. I felt like that made me feel like I wasn’t limiting my opportunities.”
ES: What is one of your proudest moments as a journalist?
SM: “I reported on the on-call scheduling shifts at Victoria Secret called, ‘Making Victoria’s Secret Pay for Keeping Staff On Call.’ Just like how paramedics and doctors are put on call, a lot of retailers were putting their regular employees on call. At these stores there would be an extra day where employees had to be ‘on call,’ where they would have to be available for six hours during the day, and if they weren’t available three or more times, they would get fired. These people who were making minimum wage were forced to be on stand-by, just in case they had to work to just fold underwear. If doctors are on call, it’s a matter between life and death, but for retail, that is not the case. The reasoning behind this was the company could save billions of dollars because if the store was busy, they would call the employees, and if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t have to hire more people. After I wrote the story, these companies ended up changing the policy and New York ended up outlawing the practice. I had people’s moms call me and thank me for making their daughter’s life better. It meant a lot to me because it was a tangible example for how journalism could change things and make people’s lives better. It felt like speaking up against injustice and seeing an effect happen because of it. It wasn’t the most glamorous story, but it is something that will stick with me.”
ES: What was your first journalism job?
SM: “My first official job was at Bloomberg News, but I had done many internships previous to that. Internships are really the way to get ahead in journalism. My first journalism internship was with the local Shoreline group who publish The Lyme Times. I worked for them for free and wrote small pieces like scores from tennis matches at East Lyme. But, because I had that experience, I got an internship at The Hartford Courant, and I wrote many high school graduation stories, about town meetings, local happenings, and features over the summer after my freshman year of college. That helped me get the Chapel Hill News internship during my sophomore year. Then, I got the opportunity from Chapel Hill to work at a news agency in Beijing, China. With all those internships combined, I was able to get the Bloomberg internship after my senior year, which led me to working there full time.”
ES: What was a risk you took in the journalism field?
SM: “The biggest risk I took was going to Buzzfeed when it was not that big in terms of news. A lot of people told me that I was making a big mistake. Because the platform was really fun and light, a lot of people didn’t believe it could succeed, therefore I couldn’t succeed. The people who told me this were looking at me leaving a stable job at Bloomberg News, which had name recognition, to me jumping to this random website with a reputation which lacked seriousness. How could I do business journalism there when it didn’t even exist there yet? How could I walk away from Bloomberg? What if it doesn’t work out? I was 26 at the time, so it didn’t feel like a big risk because I was single, didn’t have a family to support, a large mortgage, etc. So, I wondered, ‘What’s really the risk?’ It seemed like the right time to do this. Despite the doubts, I am really lucky that Buzzfeed worked out in the long run. Everyone was so young and vibrant. Celebrities would come by like Adam from the show, Parks and Recreation. It was so fun to see all these people do the ‘Buzz’ stuff like quizzes and quirky ‘DIYs’ (do it yourself). There was still reporting journalism, but also many fun aspects within the industry. Working for a startup within journalism, when it is already a difficult field, was actually a really influential experience for me and taught me a lot. Before you have commitments like supporting a family, take those risks: take the job overseas, take the job at the startup. Why not?”
ES: Have you faced any struggles in this field as a woman?
SM: “Something that has emerged since I graduated high school is online harassment. Women have it tougher online than my male colleagues. People will be really critical of stories. It is less from companies and people I interview, it’s more from random mean people on the internet. It is something that probably won’t change that much, and you do need to develop a thick skin, but I don’t have it as bad in business journalism than those in political journalism, who are writing about ‘hot button’ topics like abortion or reproductive rights. Overall, I worked for a lot of editors and organizations who value their reporters equally, woman or man. Sometimes being a woman could be an asset in reporting. There’s a unique perspective with women which allows them to be trusted by other women during investigations. There’s a way in which my husband could have a drink with another man that’s very natural in a way that would not be natural for me. Whereas, I could use empathy in a way like going to a Pilates class with a woman naturally in a way that wouldn’t be natural for him.”
ES: Do you have any inspirations?
SM: “I love Steven King’s ‘On Writing.’ Even though he is a horror author, he has this extremely beautiful book about writing that the people at my first internship gave me as a parting gift. I have always kept it because it is really nice and well done. I work with an awesome woman, Rebecca Blumenstein. She works with the publisher of The Times and is my mentor. She led the Wall Street Journal to a Pulitzer Prize. She has three children and just ran a New York marathon. She is such a cool example of someone who is living her personal and work life to the fullest. Emily Steel (ELHS Alum, NYT journalist, and Ms. Maheshwari’s close friend) is a young mom and Pulitzer winner. It is really helpful for me to see as I grow older and advance in life, how people like them can juggle the things that are important to them, personally and professionally. I feel lucky for that.”
ES: Advice for High Schoolers who are aspiring to be journalists?
SM: “Write as much as you can. Follow your interests and don’t be scared to take risks. As a high school journalist, I went to the Davis Cup (International Tennis Event) and asked famous tennis player Andy Roddick a bunch of questions at a press conference. Just even go to events at Mohegan Sun and say, ‘I’m a high school journalist and I want to write about this.’ See if you can get in on a free pass. I mean, I would do that. Reach out to a band you like or a Netflix Star you like and see if they will talk to you. People are so willing to help student journalists. Take advantage of being a student journalist and talk to anyone you think is interesting. May it be a celebrity or a professional; have fun with it.”
I want to thank Sapna for speaking with me and teaching me and my readers about her experiences in the journalism field.
I love meeting new people and learning about their stories, so if YOU are curious about a certain field, person, or event, reach out to me. I will seek out someone to share with you the stories and experiences you are looking for.