Andy Blye
‘As the world changes, I will change with it’: Andy Blye’s untraditional path to a career in journalism
Andy Blye discusses how his passion for investigative reporting came full circle
By Norah Mulinda
Life has an uncanny way of foreshadowing the future—to this, California-native Andy Blye can attest. For some, it’s a mentor; others, a television personality—and in Blye’s case, a movie.
After watching the Academy Award-winning film Spotlight, Blye’s curiosity for investigative reporting was piqued. Based on a true story, the film highlights the work of investigative reporter Walter “Robby” Robinson, an editor of The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team. In the film, Robinson, who is portrayed by Michael Keaton, orchestrates the uncovering of thousands of sexual assault stories in the Roman Catholic Church.
Blye said the movie was inspirational and demonstrated how journalists are voices for the voiceless.
Unbeknown to Blye, in less than four years after watching the film, he would be on a first-name basis with the man whose story had once captivated his attention.
Growing up in Rancho Santa Margarita—a city in Orange County, California—for most of his adolescence was like living in a bubble. Blye felt that he had to get away.
Three years after matriculation, Blye graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a specialty in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, but he was still unsure if he was on the right path.
Still uncertain of his passion, he applied to join the Peace Corps toward the end of senior year. On Valentine’s Day of 2017, he was on a plane to Zambia.
As a Peace Corps volunteer, Blye worked on the Rural Aquaculture promotion project as a fish farmer, educating Zambians about sustainable pond management fishing techniques. The life-altering venture ultimately broadened his perspective on the world.
“[The Peace Corps] changed my outlook about myself and the world and America and its standing in the world,” Blye recalls.
After much consideration, he decided to apply to Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication—a program for those who were switching careers and wanting to break into the journalism industry, Blye said.
The twenty-five-year-old never envisioned he would return to school to pursue a Master of Arts in Investigative Reporting, but knew he wanted to continue public service work in some capacity.
In an astonishing turn of events, while Blye was touring the graduate school, he had the opportunity to meet none other than Walter “Robby” Robinson, the editor depicted in the movie Spotlight.
“When Robby was there, it was like a sign for me,” Blye said. “I remember seeing the movie when it came out and thinking—these people do a job that impacts their community and changes it for the better.”
Having completed his second of three semesters in the program, Blye reflected on a course he took with Robinson.
“It’s still surreal to me that I get to talk to him and he gets to edit my work.”
Robinson considers Blye to be a leader among his classmates.
“If this class were a cruise ship, Andy would be the cruise director. He has a personality that makes him a naturally good reporter,” Robinson said, “He’s the kind of person that people want to tell things to.”
As a motivated journalist, Blye began exploring professional opportunities for summer 2020. The Dow Jones News Fund distinguished itself from other programs in its prestige and focus on business reporting. If business reporting doesn’t remain his permanent journalistic beat, Blye believes his summer internship with the Phoenix Business Journal will help to inform his reporting in the future. He will be spending the duration of the summer in Phoenix, Arizona.
“I’m thankful that I waited a few years to get into it because it’s helped shape the way that I look at the world and how I can come at any given story.”
Despite the complications COVID-19 has presented, Blye intends to focus on the silver lining.
Understanding the current unstable state of the news industry, Blye will not let it deter him from pursuing his passion.
“The need for information will always exist. As the world changes, I will change with it. If I have to delay the gratification of being a full-time journalist for a year or two, I’m willing to do that, because this is what I love doing.”