Talia Kirkland’s Art of Radical Vulnerability
By Nikki Novick
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Ten years ago, as Talia Kirkland envisioned her dream job as a broadcast journalist, she worried her sense of vulnerability would hold her back. Now, with a decade of experience, she realizes that vulnerability is her greatest strength. The journey that led her to that realization is what brought her from being terrified to go live, to being the most confident version of herself in front of the camera.
“I just didn't feel super comfortable going live, then I got the job at Fox and there wasn't a way to hide it anymore.” Talia said.
She entered the newsroom surrounded by new colleagues, cameras, and bright lights. They wanted to see her do a live drill in front of the camera.
Lights, camera and... silence.
“I went to talk, and nothing came out.”
Talia looks back on it now thinking, “It was the most humbling experience ever.” From that point on, she taught herself to look at the camera and think to herself, “I’m talking to my mom and I’m just telling her what I know.”
Originally from Penn Hills, Talia studied at Duquesne University where she received both her undergraduate degree in journalism and a master’s in media technology and arts. She previously worked in Philadelphia as a multimedia reporter for Fox News Channel and got her professional start at WDTV-TV in Clarksburg, W.Va.
That first lesson of finding her comfort zone has been the guiding principle of her career. As has her empathetic approach to the people and stories she covers.
“In this field, you learn how to communicate a lot. You learn how to be a little bit more transparent. You learn how to be vulnerable, which a lot of people see vulnerability as weakness. But for us [as journalists], when we are interviewing people, if you don’t have that sense of empathy, people can tell. If you don’t have that sense of, you know, like, ‘I care about your story’, people can tell.” She explained.
Talia says she strives to cover each story with a sense of justice and to fully and accurately represent the community she is covering. “You have to step out of your shoes and put yourself in their position,” she says.
Fox News Multimedia Journalist Mitti Hicks has known Talia since they were young girls and has been there for the full journey of Talia’s career. Mitti says that in a competitive industry like journalism, it is hard to find real support systems. “It's easy to see your friends [in this industry] as competition, or it’s easy to compare yourself and your journey, but most of the experiences that I’ve had with Talia has routed me along the way in so many of my endeavors,” said Mitti.
“This isn't about TV for Talia. A lot of times, a lot of us [journalists] choose TV because it's just the deadline adrenaline rush we get. But she would stay a committed person to her community if she wasn’t a TV journalist,” expressed Mitti, as she explained that Talia chose this career because of how much she genuinely cares about making an impact on the community.
“Alexis Johnson, a News Correspondent for VICE News, has known Talia since early childhood when they met at summer camp. “She was always the one putting in the work, applying for the scholarships, just has always had her I's dotted and her T’s crossed. She’s efficient. She’s thorough. She doesn’t skip any details. She wants everything to be in place and she always has a plan,” Alexis described.
From being each other’s competition in high school, to being each other’s best hype woman, Alexis acknowledged her gratitude for the supportive friendship her and Talia now share.
"We’ve always been super competitive against each other, even in high school, we were trying to get the better grades, and I just always knew that she was going to be successful.” said Alexis. “She knows what’s going on. She’s a leader. She's very vocal, people really look up to her as she's the one person that's always speaking out. I can go on for days..."
This past January, Talia started a new chapter in her career as a reporter for WPXI-TV, in her hometown community of Pittsburgh, where she is thrilled to continue her goal to provide community members with empowering narratives and informed reports on breaking news.