The Rose Reporter Accesses the Stars

Natick is home to many successful entrepreneuring people, including Shayna Rose, a journalist who founded her own newspaper, the Rose Reporter. In hard copy and on Facebook, the Rose Reporter has presented interviews of over 50 celebrities including Julie Andrews, Isaac Mizrahi, and Carol Burnett. The paper is available in the library of Wilson Middle School, where the reporter herself is an 11 year old sixth grader.
“I started my newspaper because I loved reading at recess and my teachers wanted me to interact with the other students,” Shayna said. She was in second grade in the Southboro school system at the time. Her first attempt at compromise with her teacher’s wishes was a book club that did not garner interest. “Then my mom and grandma suggested interviewing my friends.”
Shayna published the interviews in a one-page monthly paper. At the end of the year, her mother, Julianne Rose, facilitated a meeting with Governor Charlie Baker. After calling his office for four months, he agreed to the interview with Shayna. This began the Rose’s reporting journey that took them backstage at a Kiss concert and to the runways in Manhattan, the New Hampshire presidential primaries, and the newly reconstructed World Trade Center.
“My family is a very tenacious family,” said Julianne. “My mother’s a great salesperson. Calling publicists and agents and all of that came naturally to me.”
After a couple of name changes since its inception, the newspaper became the Rose Reporter, a biweekly paper of five pages. It includes interviews as well as a joke of the week, a quote of the week, a book report, sports, and other features. “My dad helps me,” Shayna said.
When considering who to contact for an interview, Shayna looks for people who are inspirational and kind. Then she researches the person thoroughly so she is prepared to ask follow-up questions and to engage in candid dialogue. “I’m not really nervous,” she said. “I used to be more nervous but now I’m not. I don’t get starstruck.”
Shayna likes to ask questions people may not have heard before. Sometimes she asks about role models or an interviewee’s proudest professional moment. In every interview, she asks, “What is your favorite meal and dessert?”
One conversation that particularly stands out for Shayna was her interview with Nancy Grace. “She is a phenomenal lawyer,” Shayna said, “but what made it so great was that we had a connection with Harry Potter. Her children read Harry Potter so she knew a lot. It was one of my favorite interviews. It was like two good friends talking and talking. We could have talked for hours and hours.”
Shayna has also been on the other side of the press. Channel 5 has done news stories on Shayna. In 2016, she was invited to the Boston Globe to sit in on a news meeting, where she heard that Donald Trump was going to be campaigning in New Hampshire. The Roses followed the lead and managed to get Trump’s attention. “I asked him if he would do an interview with my daughter,” said Julianne. “He looked around like he was expecting to see someone in their twenties and was surprised that she was nine.” They gave Trump a copy of the paper with Governor Baker on the cover, and Shayna interviewed him, with other members of the press taking photographs. Julianne said, “I never dreamed in a million years that we would be on this journey.”
With the exception of persistent teasing at her former school about her Donald Trump interview, responses Shayna has received on the journey have been generous and kind. Occasionally an agent will be so impressed with Shayna’s presentation the agent will refer other famous clients her way. Her poise and eloquence are exceptional for a person of any age, and she carries the confidence that comes with a sense of purpose. “I think what I’m doing is pretty important,” she said.
Does she want to pursue journalism as a career? In her interview with Keith Lockhart, she said no, she wants to be a hedge fund manager.
What is Shayna Rose’s favorite meal and dessert? “My mom makes a great chicken sandwich with cheese and mustard.” And for dessert, a Klondike bar.