Staff profile: Meet the Beacon Journal's Ryan Lewis
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Meet Ryan Lewis
Position: Cleveland baseball beat writer. I originally worked for the Beacon Journal as a sports student correspondent for about two years in college before eventually joining the company full time prior to the 2015 baseball season. Some occasional Cavaliers coverage will sneak in there as well.
Why I became a journalist
I fell in love with sports at a very young age, especially baseball. It was in middle school and high school that I began to fall in love with journalism and the overreaching goals of fairness, accuracy and insightful reporting as well as the joys of writing and figuring out how to piece together stories. I read the Beacon Journal growing up and always enjoyed entertaining and informative writing. Becoming a sports writer was the marriage of all of those interests, and I'm lucky to get to do this for a living and serve our readers.
What I like best about my job
I enjoy being able to tell other people's stories and giving readers the type of content they'll enjoy consuming (at least I hope). It's quite the privilege to, in a way, represent the readers and work on their behalf to inform and entertain with insightful, timely stories. It's something every writer and reporter here takes seriously. I'll also never complain about being lucky enough to work in ballparks.
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A story I worked on that has had a lasting impact on me
The story of Mike Aviles dealing with the awful news that his 4-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia would qualify. It's unimaginable for a parent to receive that news, and the team rallied around him. It was evident how hard it hit everybody. There's always a human element with stories.
What is the biggest challenge I face
It's an interesting question. I think one thing that seems to be an uphill battle at times is getting some to see how credible journalism is so valuable, as is knowing what's going on within your community. Knowing your news is coming from a credible source has its value. Those efforts and resources do require some financial backing, and I've long believed that a few bucks is well worth the investment to be better informed and educated on local topics.
What I like to do when I’m not working
Spending time with my wife, Alicia, and our families, friends and neighbors. Binge-watching "Schitt's Creek" or "Peaky Blinders" or "The Handmaid's Tale" or whatever is next on our list is probably on the nightly schedule, accompanied with a big bowl of Whirley Pop-made popcorn, of course.
Favorite event or Akron-area tradition
Swensons. No explanation necessary, I think. Although I prefer a more standard double "cheesburg" with bacon over The Galley Boy, which I'm sure will garner some angry emails.
Why journalism matters
People need reliable, accurate, insightful news they can trust now more than ever. We know it'd be convenient if it were all free, but the work can't be completed that way, just as a grocery store couldn't survive giving away free steaks. Our promise is to work as hard as possible to make sure your investment is worthwhile.