Her Story
About Hannah
Hannah Butler serves as a newspaper reporter at The Courier in Russellville, Arkansas, where she reports, writes, and edits local news stories on topics ranging from community developments to city corporation matters. With almost a decade in the field, she previously worked as a Senior Editorial Associate and communications professional at Windrock International, a nonprofit addressing human trafficking, agriculture, and climate change, and as a reporter at The Trucker newspaper and magazine. Butler earned her Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Arkansas Tech University in 2021 and has developed broad expertise in social media, digital platform writing, copywriting, email marketing, marketing and communications, relationship building, leadership, and graphic creation, including managing student internships at Arkansas Tech. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and holds certifications as a 200-hour trained yoga teacher and BARRE certified instructor. Butler attributes her success to supportive colleagues such as Sean Ingram and Travis Simpson and values integrity, honesty, loyalty, encouragement, and kindness in building community through her work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Hannah
01What do you attribute your success to?
The people I work with inspire me to continue to do what I do. Sean Ingram and Travis Simpson are always there for me, and we have a really great relationship. Having people around you that want you to succeed and push you when you need it is super key.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Show up. Nowadays you can do everything from your computer, but showing up and making connections and being part of everything not only makes my job more worth it or has more quality to it, but it has pushed me a lot further than if I would have just stayed behind my desk.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be more confident. Trust yourself. Don't be afraid to say hi, don't be afraid to ask questions, don't be afraid to do your job. The more you practice that, the easier it gets. Imposter syndrome is so real, but practice truly makes perfect and that's how you grow.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Burnout is something I'm experiencing right now. It's hard to be pushed, especially in Arkansas. There's a lot of news articles coming out recently about the dwindling of local journalism. Facing the fact that it might not be around here forever is really sad. While I like variety, it gets hard to do everything for one person.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, honesty, loyalty, and encouragement. Kindness is key. It's so cliche, but you want to treat people how you want to be treated, and it has gone such a long way for me. Whether that's just saying hi to someone, just acknowledging someone at an event, or getting to make sure that your regular contacts are okay. That has really changed the way I look at building community in my role as a journalist.
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