While some people in their early twenties might spend a few minutes each day checking in on the latest news, Cate Matthews is utterly consumed by it. The 23-year-old journalist is managing editor of A Plus, a fast-growing online publication that promotes “positive journalism.”
But the website—co-founded by Ashton Kutcher—isn’t just about putting a heartwarming spin on the day’s events. It covers breaking news, tech trends, and political activism—or, as Matthews puts it, “stories about the world.”
In the process, she’s helping to pioneer a new type of journalism that not only reports the news, but gets readers excited about what they can do to change the world.
The Pittsburgh native’s entry into the journalism world can be traced back to when she was 17—a time when she was “just a video blogger” and used the medium to start conversations about social equality.
“It’s one of the best topics for connecting with people, that people are most excited about to read and to share,” says Matthews, currently based out of New York’s WeWork 42nd Street. “And it’s something A Plus is very heavily based on. We’re a positive journalism site, so we really focus on stories that either do good, that inspire good things to happen, or that make you feel good and a little bit cheerier when you finish reading them.”
Why videos for telling stories and starting discussions? After graduating high school early to head to college, Matthews says she was “looking for something to invest my time in.”
So she started watching videos by the Green brothers (one of which, John, wrote the popular young adult book-turned-feature film The Fault in Our Stars).
“They were making these incredibly incisive, intelligent, and funny videos about things that really mattered,” Matthews explains. “The medium became really fascinating to me, and there’s really only one way to take part and explore more: and that was to start making video blogs myself. I tried a couple experiments, and I just kind of got addicted to the community and the conversation.”
As she was studying creative writing at Ohio University, Matthews says her videos developed a “small, but dedicated following.” This led to an internship in social media, then a fellowship with The Huffington Post.
These days, she’s busy managing a team of 20 journalists dedicated to delivering news that motivates fellow millennials to make a difference.
“A lot of our team is young,” adds Matthews. “Sometimes in journalism, it can be weighted on the side of people who have 10, 20 years of experience. It’s been really amazing to see young people as they come into this company take on big roles, and big leadership positions, and huge tasks, and just completely nail them. I think it speaks to the sometimes unrecognized ability of young people to just completely kill it professionally.”
The litmus test for news being A Plus-worthy: Does it do good, and is it forward-thinking? That’s the first half. The second part goes back to Matthews’ Girl Scouts past.
“Will it inspire positivity in the world?” she asks. “Will someone leave this story better after they’ve read it? Kind of like the old Girl Scouts rule: leave the campsite better than how you found it.”
Photos: Katelyn Perry