By MAKAYLA BEAUFORT, age 11
PHOTO: Erica Martinez
Samuel Martinez, age 12, has been a kid reporter for IndyKids since January 2013.
Makayla: When did you realize that you liked or were interested in journalism?
Samuel: I don’t know exactly when I became interested in journalism, nor would I say that there is one time in which this had happened. If I had to choose one spark, however, a major contribution was in the summer between fourth and fifth grade, when I read a small area newspaper [in California] called the Independent Coast Observer for the first time. It was a weekly, Thursday paper that really was interested in the people of the area, which is what intrigued me most. That there was news, if local, that directly corresponded to the people.
Makayla: Where did you get the idea of becoming a reporter?
Samuel: I got the idea of becoming a reporter at the same time, give or take. I had gotten my name in the paper after a small model car race in northern California, as they printed the people’s name and picture if they got into the top three. I thought mainly about the feeling I had when this happened, and I mainly decided that it would be very cool as a job to give people the same excitement that I had gotten from this, which is around when I decided to become a reporter.
Makayla: What newspaper do you like the most and why?
Samuel: My favorite is the San Francisco Chronicle. The reporting is to the point and well-balanced. As for what I like reporting on the best, I would say local events, as they have a direct effect on the people who are reading the publication.
