Creative writing and applied journalism alumnus Nino Paoli now works as a finance reporter at Bloomberg News in New York City
Nino Paoli
By Hoku Tiwanak, CLA Student Writer - January 26, 2026
Nino Paoli, ‘23, arrived at Oregon State as a sophomore after transferring from Seattle University. During his freshman year, the university, as well as the city itself, shut down for the COVID-19 Pandemic, which gave Paoli the opportunity to revisit his idea of becoming a novelist. Coincidentally, in 2020, the School of Writing, Literature, and Film began to offer creative writing as a major and instead of returning to Seattle amidst an ongoing pandemic, the Montana-native Paoli saw the opportunity to transfer into a program he was looking for despite having to move away from a bustling city life that he preferred.
Through his creative writing coursework at the School of Writing, Literature, and FIlm, Paoli was exposed to different writing styles and discovered his creative background could be adaptable to many forms of writing. “I came to the realization that becoming a novelist might not be the most sustainable career,” said Paoli. “I started looking for ways to expand my horizons, and that’s when I found journalism.”
After a year at OSU, Paoli added a minor in applied journalism, which blended creativity with real-world impact. The wide range of journalism classes helped Paoli discover all sides of the field. One of the first courses he took was Science Writing (WR 362), which he found surprisingly enjoyable compared to the types of writing he was used to. “It’s a testament to how vast and diverse the journalism classes at OSU are,” he said. Other mentors who led Paoli in his early journalism career were Assistant Professor Sindya Bhanoo and Assistant Professor of Teaching Liddy Detar.
His first real newsroom experience came as a campus reporter for The Daily Barometer, OSU’s student-run newspaper. The role introduced Paoli to the fundamentals of interviewing, sourcing, and writing on a deadline. “At first, it was nerve-wracking to walk up to strangers and ask questions,” he said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but really it got me out of my shell and improved my writing in so many ways. It was eye opening and fun to be able to stretch yourself.” Some of Paoli’s articles covered homelessness, climate change, mental health funding, university governance, and more.
After graduating, Paoli was looking to gain more experience working as a reporter. Paoli applied and was selected as a Snowden Fellow, a prestigious Oregon-based journalism fellowship where students are placed in newsrooms throughout the state. He spent three months reporting for The Observer in La Grande, in Eastern Oregon, where the pace was much faster than what he experienced at The Daily Barometer. “In a small newsroom, you learn to carry your own weight. It really taught me how to manage deadlines and stay adaptable,” Paoli said. “Working at The Observer was the best experience I could have. It was a crash course on what it’s like to be a local journalist working in a small community where everyone knows your name.”
When the fellowship ended, Paoli found himself unsure of how to make the leap to larger newsrooms, many of which are located on the East Coast. He started doing what he could from home in Missoula, cold-calling journalists he admired. “One told me, ‘find an internship and make the move.’ So I did.”
That advice led him to an internship with Marketplace by American Public Media in Washington D.C., and eventually, to New York, where he was a news fellow for Fortune. While on the global news desk, Paoli covered breaking stories on topics ranging from technology and artificial intelligence to corporate policy and trade. “Every morning, I pitch stories, and by midday I’m filing them,” he said.
Among the many topics he’s covered, Paoli has been especially drawn to trade and tariffs. “It’s one of those areas where there’s so much to uncover,” he said. “Sometimes you find things no one else has reported on yet, and that's really satisfying.”
Now wrapping up his seven-months-long fellowship at Fortune, Paoli is moving on to become a finance report for Bloomberg News. His advice to aspiring journalists is to “reach out to people you admire, most journalists are very willing to talk to you,” he said. While every journalist wants to chase big name outlets, “no job is too small. Every experience teaches you something.”