Sarah Moughty

Sarah Moughty is the former executive director of digital for Marketplace. She oversaw our digital team — an awesome group of reporters, editors, producers and technologists — and helped Marketplace transition from a radio shop to a multiplatform news organization.

What was your first job?

When I was 7 or 8, I signed a contract with my father: For every night I did the dishes, I would be paid a quarter. I guess it was technically an allowance, but I signed a contract!

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

That more than anything else, being a good journalist is about listening.

What is something that everyone should own, no matter how much it costs?

This sleep mask — I have several stashed around my house and in travel bags. The best $12.99 you’ll ever spend.

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

I was a casual listener before I started working here, but I really binged in preparation for my interviews. Listening to the shows — hearing series like “My Economy” or “I’ve Always Wondered” that regularly feature the voices of our listeners — I was really struck by the incredible ongoing relationship between Marketplace and its audience. I mentioned this to my sister, and a few hours later she forwarded me an email exchange she had with a Marketplace producer several years earlier — after my sister had heard and responded to an on-air callout. (She didn’t get interviewed — the timing didn’t work out, but I used her email in my interview presentation and that DID work out.)

What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?

A “What Would Oprah Do?” plaque from a former colleague — it reminds me to get outside of my own head, and more importantly, it makes me laugh.