By Jeremiah McKinney
North Cobb High School
From launching a high school newspaper to helping produce an Emmy Award-winning documentary, Morgan Hardy has dedicated her journalism career to telling meaningful stories that make a difference. What began as an interest in morning show broadcasts during middle school grew into a passion that continued through high school and into college. Through internships, researching and in depth reporting, Morgan has worked to demonstrate that journalism has an impact on society. Now pursuing a masters degree in journalism and mass communications at the University of Georgia, she continues to build a career centered on uncovering stories that matter and sharing them with audiences through innovative digital media.
“It’s always been something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Hardy.
Long before producing digital content and gaining recognition for her work, Morgan was the kid that never wanted to miss the news. Breaking news especially caught her attention. “Every time breaking news was on I was like, oh my gosh turn everything off, we’re watching breaking news.”
She often found herself watching broadcasts with curiosity. While others focused on the events unfolding on the screen, Morgan became interested in the people behind the stories. She wanted to know who wrote the scripts, gathered all the information and delivered the news to audiences. “I would sit in my dad’s office and watch MSNBC and I’m like I want to be up there, I want to write their script.”
That early fascination with journalism eventually led her towards a career dedicated to story telling and informing communities.
Morgan’s interest in journalism soon became more than just watching the news. In middle school, she joined her school’s morning show broadcast, giving her a firsthand look at what it was like to help create content for an audience. That experience continued into high school where she spent four years on the journalism staff. During her first two years, she worked in broadcast journalism for the daily news announcements before expanding into other forms of storytelling.
As her skills and confidence grew, Morgan took on a larger role within her school’s journalism program. She helped launched the school’s newspaper and began producing digital content for its website, including video and audio stories. Through these opportunities, she discovered a passion for multimedia storytelling and connecting with audiences through different forms of media.
Morgan’s passion for storytelling continued at the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Throughout her undergraduate career, she gained valuable professional experience through internships and digital media projects. Working with organizations such as the Oglethorpe Echo and The Christian Index, she created content and analyzed audiences’ engagement and developed strategies to connect with readers across digital platforms. “If I have not gone to UGA, I don’t think I would be able to do something of this magnitude,” said Hardy. These experiences helped her strengthen the skills she had developed in the classroom while preparing her for a career in journalism.
One of the most meaningful experiences of Morgan’s career came during her work on the documentary “We Will Rise: The story of the Apalachee High School Shooting.” As a social media producer, she conducted research, interviewed sources and helped create content that shared the story of a community facing tragedy. “It was really tough to set my emotions aside knowing it’s going to hurt.”
Working alongside her team, Morgan helped tell a story that not only informed audiences, but also honored those affected by the event. The documentary later earned a student production Emmy award, marking a major milestone in her journalism journey.
Now entering her second year as a graduate student at the University of Georgia, Morgan continues to build on the passion that first began while watching breaking news as a child. Through internships, digital storytelling and award- winning projects, she has remained committed to informing communities and telling stories that matter. As she continues her journey in journalism, Morgan hopes to use her skills to make a lasting impact through meaningful and engaging storytelling. “You won’t know until you try.”
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