People You Should Know – Josephfer Williams Jr.

This year’s Kelsy Beshears Racial Justice Award went to a group of five young journalists. In this, the fifth post in our “People You Should Know” series highlighting local leaders who exemplify values of community and collaboration, we introduce you to one of those journalists. Josephfer Williams Jr. reports for KQ2 and received the award for his coverage during Black History month as well as other coverage of St. Joe’s African American community.  

AV: Let’s start with you, tell us about your path to journalism.

JW:  I was born in Dallas and grew up in and around Dallas. I was always interested in sports journalism, especially debate shows like ESPN’s First Take or Undisputed on FS1. When I entered high school I thought I would be focusing on computer science like my dad but I took one journalism class with a great teacher —  Rachel Brackett — and she put me in the school newspaper. I really enjoyed that and have stuck with the news ever since. I received my BA in Journalism/Electronic Media from Texas State and a MA in Sports Communication from Dallas Baptist University.

I got my first start in radio volunteering with KTSW 89.9 working as a Sports Journalist for my Junior and Senior years of undergrad. After that while I was getting my master’s I worked for BGC Network, a small radio station, where I was also a sports journalist. 

AV: How long have you been in St. Joseph and how did you get here?

JW: I applied to multiple places when looking for a broadcast journalism job, including two different positions (producer and journalist) at KQ2 and they sort of combined those into the weekend news anchor position which gives me experience in both areas. I came in November 2023, and I am excited to be transitioning to lead reporter at KQ2 with coverage  Monday through Friday.

AV: Tell us a bit more about your reporting and role in the community.

JW: The biggest aspect for me as a news person is making sure stories are accurate, that is telling the truth. This often means getting multiple perspectives and providing the context that ensures greater understanding. Another belief that influences my coverage is that I am big on “giving people their flowers while they are still here.” Lots of people don’t get their stories heard. And there are many great things happening in the community that people don’t hear about. And we lose something when those voices aren’t heard and those stories aren’t told.

AV: Tell us more about the coverage that led to the award.

JW: The very first story I covered for KQ2 was the dedication of the Lloyd Warner memorial marker. St. Joseph has a small but close-knit Black community. This event introduced me to that community and also to the St. Joseph Museums. I have always wanted to do something for Black history, and as Black History month approached I thought about what I could do for St. Joseph to highlight the impact of its Black community. So I started with the idea of doing a spotlight on each day of the month. I ended up doing 25 stories which put the spotlight on the many contributions this smaller population has made to the broader community.  

AV: In addition to the Kelsey Beshears award you have received other awards for your coverage at KCQ. Can you tell us more about those?

JW: I was honored with an oration award and community service award at this year’s Juneteenth Gala.

AV: Why is coverage like this important?

JW: News often gets a bad rap. And that’s because there is a lot out there driven by self-promotion. So people often don’t know what to trust. I believe if people get to know you — and see that you have the right intentions and a concern with accuracy it builds trust. The right kind of reporting helps people learn more about a situation. Different ways of telling stories help open another perspective. When people see their own stories it also helps them engage with the news and learn more about their community and what is going on. 

AV: And a closing question, what’s next for you? And what advice might you have for others entering your field?

JW: I will start in my new role as lead reporter at KQ2 in November. As a piece of advice for young journalists out there looking to get into the field there’s two things I’ll leave you with. The first is to never get discouraged — media is a tough field and there’s so many people trying to get into the industry. If you’re like me and love sports, give news a chance, it may show you something you’ve never seen before. Secondly, you have to really love this career to want to make it a full time job. While I do get to have fun from time to time, there’s so many stressful things that you have to deal with in the world of media. If you don’t love it, people watching are going to know right away and it’s going to show in your work. 

AV: Look for reporting from Josephfer Williams Jr. on KQ2 every Sunday-Thursday at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on KQ2. In November he will switch to Monday-Friday at the same times. Also you can view some of his past stories here.