Get to know Lucinda Warnke, the Macon Telegraph’s new general assignment reporter

When I was growing up, my favorite board game was Clue. My dad gave me the game for Christmas, and in the years following I would gather around the board with my family at every chance.

I was consumed by the process of solving something, the way theories would fly with each roll of the dice and details came into focus. Most of all, I loved the feeling of figuring something out. No matter how many times we played — which was a lot, to the chagrin of my parents and brother — I never got tired of the feeling of exploring every avenue until everything clicked into place.

Journalism often feels like a game of Clue. I have an idea of the story I’m looking for, but things always start murky. It isn’t until I start asking questions and considering possibilities that the story becomes clear. Whether I’m picking through spreadsheets of data or reviewing stacks of public records, I’m always searching for the throughline that connects all the dots.

My passion (for journalism, not Clue) grew during my time at the University of Georgia, where I studied journalism and English literature. I worked as a news editor, enterprise reporter and copy editor at UGA’s student-run newspaper, The Red & Black, where I produced stories about housing and gun policy that garnered state and national awards.

I also interned with Atlanta magazine and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which gave me the chance to learn under top-notch reporters and editors.

When a job came open in Macon, I was ecstatic to have the chance to write and investigate in a town that’s rapidly changing. As new life flows into Macon’s downtown and people from across the state and country discover all that this city has to offer, there comes a whole bevy of new people and stories.

Since moving here in May, I’ve written about Macon becoming the first municipality to offer free menstrual products, covered events surrounding abortion rights and looked at how national policy impacts Middle Georgians each and every day.

I’m looking forward to continuing to puzzle through Macon and its quirks. Coming into the newsroom each day feels like rolling a set of dice and guessing, “Mr. Green in the study with a candlestick.” Sometimes you only have a vague picture of the truth you’re chasing, but with every shot you take and every path you go down you get closer to finding the heart of the story you’re trying to tell.

I believe my reporting here can help the people of Macon make sense of the city around them, and give them the same rush I get when I finally have the answers.

This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Get to know Lucinda Warnke, the Macon Telegraph’s new general assignment reporter."