Well, this blog is supposed to be an update on how our internships are going, but I’m taking this class after the fact so I can’t really comment on that. Even so, I suppose I can write some more about how my internship went.
Technically speaking, I was an intern in the Spring 2014 and Fall 2014 semesters. That’s what the school says, at least. In my mind, however, I figure that my internship lasted throughout my entire tenure at The Daily Helmsman.
I went into the Helmsman completely unsure of how to work as a reporter. That changed quickly. I still remember my first story—the University was rolling out a bike sharing program, and my editor wanted me to go talk to someone at the Peddler, the bike shop that was supplying the bikes. I was in the area anyway, so it worked out.
I ended up trying to wrangle as many people as I could to provide information. I even tried getting in contact with the president of the company that was making the bikes. He never got back to me.
It required a major change in how I think in order to work at the Helmsman. I couldn’t blithely go through the day anymore—I had to start thinking about things like a reporter. I had to learn how to talk to people, something I originally had a problem with. I also had to learn who to talk to in the first place, and all the little tricks those in power use in order to hide information from reporters.
A lot of that sounds like it’s very situational, but the truth is that those skills are valuable even outside of the context of the Helmsman. Information shouldn’t be held prisoner by those at the top.
Technically speaking, I was an intern in the Spring 2014 and Fall 2014 semesters. That’s what the school says, at least. In my mind, however, I figure that my internship lasted throughout my entire tenure at The Daily Helmsman.
I went into the Helmsman completely unsure of how to work as a reporter. That changed quickly. I still remember my first story—the University was rolling out a bike sharing program, and my editor wanted me to go talk to someone at the Peddler, the bike shop that was supplying the bikes. I was in the area anyway, so it worked out.
I ended up trying to wrangle as many people as I could to provide information. I even tried getting in contact with the president of the company that was making the bikes. He never got back to me.
It required a major change in how I think in order to work at the Helmsman. I couldn’t blithely go through the day anymore—I had to start thinking about things like a reporter. I had to learn how to talk to people, something I originally had a problem with. I also had to learn who to talk to in the first place, and all the little tricks those in power use in order to hide information from reporters.
A lot of that sounds like it’s very situational, but the truth is that those skills are valuable even outside of the context of the Helmsman. Information shouldn’t be held prisoner by those at the top.