Editor’s Note: Beat Notes is a weekly feature from Dispatch journalists who share what’s been happening in their area of coverage and upcoming events. This week we hear from Belinda M. Paschal, who covers features, arts, entertainment and things to do in Columbus and central Ohio.
There are a million stories in the Arch City. As a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch, I get to tell you a few of them.
Occasionally, I get to take off my reporter hat and tell you about myself. Because I’m used to others telling me their stories, it’s a daunting challenge for me to sit in the hot seat and share my own.
At the same time, walking in someone else’s shoes is an effective way to see different perspectives, a practice that I’ve learned extends to writing stories for a community as diverse as Columbus.
Since the last time I checked in, my beat has undergone a few tweaks as we experiment with new ideas to keep readers informed, engaged and entertained. That’s the nature of the shapeshifting beast known as journalism: When it changes, we adjust accordingly.
Like my profession, I’m a work in progress. Even after 35 years in this business, I still have room to learn, grow and improve. I always will, even when I’m a retired stay-at-home mom of 19 cats.
Until that day comes, here is a glimpse of my current, feline-free life as a features reporter.
What is a typical day for me?
Really, there isn’t a “typical” day on my beat. One day, I might be meandering around a roomful of holograms at COSI; the next, I could be glued to my chair for hours while cranking out a long-form story.
Since my bailiwick is arts and entertainment, I often hear, “Your job must be really fun!” Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not all fun and games. (Just mostly.)
I spend much of my time immersed in many realms, including theater, opera, music, dance, museums, movies, television, and comedy – and that’s just my email. (No, seriously. I get a shipload of email.)
Those emails yield a wealth of story ideas, some pitched by the senders, others the result of brainstorming on my own or with our dedicated features editor, Emily Rohozen. I also discover new stories and angles while on other assignments.
Covering several Columbus arts groups as well as touring acts and shows requires me to maintain symbiotic relationships with people behind the scenes. I touch base regularly with sources from record label PR and concert promoters to CEOs and artistic directors.
Besides getting a story, the payoff for me is building trust and a good reputation among my sources. One of the greatest compliments I can receive is not just for writing pretty words, but for accurate reporting. It’s gone well in almost four years with the Dispatch, so I guess I’m doing something right.
A few things I’ve been working on
Since January, we’ve covered a certain band from Columbus so often that I’ve joked about being the “Official Twenty One Pilots Correspondent.” But with a movie and bid for three iHeartRadio Music Awards on the horizon, the hometown duo is hotter than ever.
That’s why we chose them for the debut of our monthly “fun facts” feature, which will profile famous people with Columbus ties. Expect to learn a little and hopefully, laugh a lot!
Beyond spouting factoids and trivia, I’ve also been writing breaking and trending stories, which deliver the news that people are searching for online.
A recent trending assignment sent me down a rabbit hole of research on “Love is Blind” cast member Chris Fusco. I even watched the season premiere, and I may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering. (Silver lining: More than 29,000 people read my story.)
My piece on Queer DJ collective Cybershock drew a smaller audience, but it’s nevertheless one of my favorite stories of 2026 so far.
Lastly, you might have noticed that the new year brought a new format to my weekly “things to do” list. This is one of the tweaks we’ve made. Downsizing and streamlining the list will afford me more time to bring you more stories in the near future.
Upcoming stories
Speaking of the future, I’ll be tracking CAPA’s transformation of a historic Downtown church into a music hall throughout the year. Projected to open in 2027, the venue will occupy the former Central Presbyterian Church at 132 S. Third St.
In September, you can look forward to my contribution to the Dispatch’s Astronaut 250 project spotlighting 25 astronauts from Ohio.
Between now and then, you’ll be seeing my byline on a regular basis (probably on stories about Twenty One Pilots), plus I have an idea or two brewing, but as they say in the movies, “No spoilers!”
Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at [email protected].
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.dispatch.com ’
