Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Kitt.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I became a journalist because as an earnest, slightly naive teenager, I wanted to change the world. I’ve always loved writing, and hoped I could tell stories that made a real impact. I freelanced in Seattle as I completed my undergraduate degree and then took a job as a full-time news writer in a sleepy Floridian beach town, where I covered city council meetings, small-town crime, and education.
At the time, I incorrectly viewed the job as a stepping stone to a national daily. Within a few months, I realized how important community news is. I wrote articles that truly mattered, told important stories that connected the community, and covered tiny government meetings where big decisions were made that impacted local residents. It mattered.
I still grew restless, though, and eventually moved to Tokyo, where I worked with the largest English media outlet and was fortunate to work as a travel writer. I was also able to report in Uganda, where I took a slight detour out of media and started a fair trade fashion brand. That time made me a stronger journalist as I learned new skills, developed healthy skepticism, and grew up a bit. I finished my master’s degree, married my husband, who is in the US Navy, and we eventually landed in San Diego. I began writing for The Coronado Times.
Immediately, I felt that I was back doing what I always loved. Covering local government meetings, telling important stories, researching niche topics, and feeling the impact that coverage had on the community felt like coming home in a way. As I grew at the paper, its founder and publisher, Steve Johnson, reached out about acquiring the company. After more than two decades, he was ready to step back for a well-deserved break, and I was ready to dive in. I took over in early 2024, and I’m immeasurably grateful to Steve for trusting me with the legacy he built.
Since then, I have also started a small paper, The La Mesa Times, because I saw a gap in coverage there. Coronado benefits immensely from our writers covering its meetings, its government, its people. I want to bring that same benefit to other communities in San Diego County.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I could spend hours outlining all the struggles I’ve had along the way. The hardest has been leaning into exploring both sides of an issue with a goal of impartiality. Journalists have such an important job because the world deserves solid, accurate information so that people can draw their own conclusions. It’s important to me to handle that job responsibly and keep my own opinions away from my job. I took over the newspaper during an election year, which came with its share of divide among issues and strong opinions on what we should be writing. It was a hard year to take over, but I learned quickly to focus on being fair and exploring both sides of contentious issues. Thankfully, Steve built an incredible team of writers with a phenomenal managing editor, Dani Schwartz, leading the team, so I had a lot of support along the way.
On a more personal note, I’m a military spouse. My husband moves, on average, every two years, and each time we’ve moved, it’s been over an ocean. After acquiring The Coronado Times, we moved to Italy. We kept our house in San Diego and intend to move back once he retires in a few years, but for now, I’ve had to operate the business remotely. It’s been an incredible experience, and we’ve been able to travel quite a bit, but it’s not without its professional challenges. Balancing my career, my husband’s military career, and our three young kids is exhausting at times, but I’m also grateful for all these things in my life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Coronado Times is a hyperlocal news publication that has been covering Coronado since 2002. Our team of local writers truly love our community. I am most proud of the commitment our team has to telling stories that matter. That can be an feature piece telling the story of one of our neighbors, or a breaking news story that our writers spring to cover quickly, knowing that the community looks to us for answers. What makes the publication unique is all the writers who contribute to it and take care to tell their stories well.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I have said before that I’m not a risk-taker, yet I’ve taken a considerable number risks in my life. More accurately, it’s probably that I’m a calculated risk-taker. For example, one year postgrad, I quit my job as news editor at a small paper in Florida and traveled to Europe for two months before moving to Tokyo. I didn’t have a job lined up. It sounds like I’m a free spirited, unworried person, but in reality, I had a plan. I saved for the travels and time off, and I knew I had back-up jobs available to me in Tokyo that, frankly, paid more than my journalism job in Florida did. While I was finding my way as a writer in Tokyo, I also worked as a fashion model and as an English teacher. It sounds daring – but it was rooted in planning. The same is true of all the risks I’ve taken, including buying The Coronado Times and starting The La Mesa Times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.coronadotimes.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/coronadoisland
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coronadoisland/
- Other: https://lamesatimes.com/
