The Empathetic Journalist

Buffalo native Natalie Martinez, BA ’94, grew up thinking she would follow in the footsteps of her father, Daniel Martinez, DDS ’72; however, she quickly realized that dentistry wasn’t for her. Instead, she became enamored with journalism after having in-depth conversations with Ed Reilly, the brother of her then boyfriend and a lead photographer at WKBW Channel 7.   

Reilly’s influence inspired Martinez to pivot to communications in her junior year, and she has been all about the delivering the news ever since.

She credits UB for providing “an amazing opportunity” in the study abroad program and would recommend it for any student. “You learn so much about other people, other cultures,” she says. “What I learned when I was traveling abroad is something I think about all the time. I still say to this day that (age) 21 was the best year of my life because I never learned so much about myself and the world as I did in that year. And that was thanks to UB.”

If she had $1 million to give to UB? "It would go toward a newsroom,” she says, that includes proper recording materials. She recalls creating demos to send to radio stations and using tones from a glockenspiel to mark the different news sections. At the time, she worried it would be considered sophomoric, but WGR 550 AM was impressed, and she secured a spot at the radio station right after graduation.

After learning the ropes interning at all three major Buffalo television stations, she “learned to love journalism” working at WGR. Throughout the 90s, Martinez went on to work on television news at stations in Utica and Albany before landing at NBC Chicago as a lead reporter, where she celebrated her 20th anniversary in 2021.

Her work has earned her two Emmys and a Peabody award for her coverage of the Laquan McDonald case, in which a white Chicago police officer shot and killed McDonald, a 17-year-old Black teenager, in 2014. Most recently, she has been educating future journalists at DePaul University. 

Though Martinez has decades of experience, she doesn’t deny that journalist face many difficulties. “The emotional toll of reporting is cumulative.” NBC offers support and therapy sessions that Martinez takes advantage of, which helps her unpack her emotions and speak with other people more effectively. 

“We are not trained professionally to speak to people who have gone through some really raw emotions,” she says. Referring to the 4th of July parade shooting incident in Chicago’s Highland Park as an example, Martinez says, “We are untrained and unarmed, right? I’m walking around (reporting), I don’t have a gun, and the alleged shooter is still walking around.” She conveys the terror of entering crime scenes but also the necessity to prioritize people over the story, and the story over herself.

Perhaps Martinez has more stake in the news as she has slowly made Chicago her home over the last couple decades. This is her community, and she is clear about the importance of her commitment to reporting but also her commitment to fellow Chicagoans.

Markedly, what sets Martinez apart is a curiosity about people, a genuine interest in learning and connection, and her sincere compassion. She seeks out the scoop only after stepping right into the story.