Navigating the Path to Investigative Journalism

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The chapter explores the transition from entry-level journalism at the LA Times to pursuing an MFA for long-form writing, emphasizing the desire for deeper investigations. It discusses experiences writing books during the MFA program, challenges in completing a book project, and the journey to becoming an author. The conversation also touches on the evolution from light content writing to investigative journalism, highlighting the importance of working with experienced journalists and the balance of roles as an executive editor.

Megan Kimble is the former executive editor of The Texas Observer and has written for The New York Times, Texas Monthly, and The Guardian. Her new book is City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America’s Highways.

“I have never lived in a city that was not wrapped in highways. It’s hard for me to imagine anything else. And I think that’s true for a lot of people today. ... [But] we have known since the origins of the interstate highways program that building highways through cities doesn’t fix traffic. And yet we keep doing it. To me, that really fueled a lot of the book. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

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