I Follow: Jade McCarthy
Editor’s note: I Follow is all about ESPN employees on Twitter: what they tweet, whom they follow and how you can interact socially with anyone and everyone.
Twitter Handle: @JadeMcCarthy
Following: 292
Followers: 2,316
(as of 3/25/13)
Jade McCarthy is a daytime anchor for SportsCenter. McCarthy hails from Newton, Massachusetts and received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Mount Holyoke College. She began her career at WGGB (ABC) in Springfield, MA. From there she worked at NBC’s Philadelphia affiliate (WCAU) and then spent one year at regional sports network, NESN, prior to joining ESPN in September 2012.
When did you first start using Twitter and what was the draw to it?
I am late to the Twitter game – I admit it! I just started using Twitter a few months ago. I just decided I wanted to be “social” on social media. It’s great for breaking news and seeing what people are talking and reading about. It’s also a great place to find recommendations and links for good reads. I love to read and it’s a big part of my job, so it’s a benefit.
Why did you choose to work in this field?
I took a journalism course my first year at Mount Holyoke. The first assignment was completely open-ended; I could write about anything. I wrote about Pedro Martinez. It wasn’t work – it was fun! I wound up loving the course and my professor encouraged me to look into TV. From my first internship, I just knew this is what I wanted to do.
Do you think there is a journalistic appeal to Twitter?
In my view, the journalistic appeal of Twitter is sharing and/or promoting articles. Sure, people are on Twitter when news breaks, it’s just how it is now. But it goes beyond that ‘being first’ element of news. I think the links people tweet can be a great place to find articles worth reading.
Who are your favorite people to follow on Twitter?
It varies from week to week. These aren’t really ‘people’ but I always love both ‘Sports Quotes’ and ‘Great Minds Quotes’. I have loved reading and compiling memorable quotes for years.
