![Chelsey Zhu, Digital Producer for KUT News. Feb. 7, 2024. Renee Dominguez/KUT News](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cecddde/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x800+300+0/resize/150x200!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2F80%2F2211f88942e8883fa86dbdd802e6%2Fchelsey-zhu.jpg)
Chelsey Zhu
Digital ProducerWhat I do at KUT
I’m all over the place. Most of the time, I focus on writing stories for our website, creating social media posts and putting together KUT’s daily newsletter. Occasionally, I edit digital stories, speak into a mic and play matchmaker for Austin singles. I’m always on the lookout for stories that are positive, local and restore people’s faith in humanity.
My background
I’ve always wanted to work in public radio — as a kid, I fantasized about signing off a story with, “Chelsey Zhu, NPR News.” (Yes, that is an extremely weird thing for a 10-year-old to dream about.)
In pursuit of that goal, I took journalism classes in college, wrote for the student magazine, dabbled in podcast production and interned at places like Forbes, WXPN and FactCheck.org. My first job out of college was being a producer for HerMoney, a personal finance podcast that helps women gain confidence with money.
I’m originally from Murfreesboro, Tenn. I lived in Philadelphia for a few years before moving to Austin in 2022. My favorite thing about this city is that people thank bus drivers here.
Journalistic ethics
I used to think being a good journalist meant only reporting on Very Serious Things. But I’ve come to realize that people need to read and listen to happy stories, too, and those are the stories I love to chase! Examples: I’ve made people scream as a haunted house actor, investigated Austin’s love of nostalgia and interviewed a local reality TV star about finding love at any age.
There’s no better feeling than talking to someone who’s doing a really funny/heartwarming/quirky thing in their community — and who wants to share that joy with everyone else. If you know of anything like that, please reach out at czhu@kut.org.
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This is the first human case in the county in 2024.
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For a long time, Austin was built around vehicles. Only a small percentage of households don't own a car — but that still translates to tens of thousands of people across the city. Here's how they do it.
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Customers in the Austin area had reported the internet was down in several ZIP codes on social media.
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ATX Kids Club's summer camp uses Capital Metro buses to take campers on field trips around the city. The goal: getting kids to have fun on public transit so they’ll grow up using it.
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The university will fully implement the policy by Aug. 19 — the week before fall classes start.
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Threats also include damaging winds, frequent lightning and a possible tornado, according to the National Weather Service.
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The main threats are a couple tornadoes, hail up to 2 inches in size and damaging winds.
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If you've ever wanted to pick up warm tortillas and a soulmate in the same shopping trip, this event tonight at the Mueller store is for you.
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A severe thunderstorm watch that was in effect for much of Monday has been canceled, but there's still a risk of an isolated storm.
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A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for more than a dozen counties — including Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop — until midnight Friday.