When
I completed my internship while attending my last year at Brooklyn
College, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with where the skills I learned could
potentially take me. I was sort of like a “website editor” for MTV’s
online division – reading through artist biographies and proofing them
before putting them on the website. It wasn’t really my type of
atmosphere, with interns my age talking about television gossip and
their out-of-state plans following graduation. In reality, I wanted to
be a reporter/journalist for a newspaper or magazine – despite the
decline in print media. I wanted to make a living talking to people and
telling their stories and experiences. My first love has always been
writing for enjoyment– and many people in the community love to “write.”
Do you know how many residents – young and old – contact the Canarsie Courier because they “love to write?”
During the past couple of months, the Canarsie Courier
was contacted by several students – from both high school and college –
who were interested in completing an internship with our publication.
Many of them want to get their foot in the door when it comes to the
publishing and newspaper business – and who wouldn’t want to see their
name in print while learning the ins and out of a newspaper?
Unfortunately,
even though I’ve recently interviewed many potential interns who enjoy
the prospects of “writing,” the business of news isn’t just about
observing a newsroom as stories are turned out. The things that go along
with being a journalist are often not
taught in school and the thick skin one has to grow over the years
doesn’t come from reading current events. Is being a reporter that
difficult? Sure, when I took journalism courses, it was easy to hit the
books and learn how to write with a certain structure and read articles
for examples of style.
BUT, when it came to actually going out there and
reporting on a story when I began working for the Canarsie Courier,
it was a whole different ball game. I haven’t yet interviewed a student
who has specific ideas on stories they’d like to write or report on,
such as issues impacting community youths or politics at their school.
When I tell students that the field of journalism is about making phone
calls, hitting the pavement and being out on the streets, they seem
anxious – at first.
Running an editorial department isn’t just about “editing” either –
it’s about knowing facts and some history behind your community and
being aware of who the major players are in the civic world. Most
interns who come to us from high school or college aren’t involved in
local civics and have hobbies that are so far from “newsy” that I’m
unsure where current events fit into their lives. Loving music, theatre
and other arts is fabulous – but those muses aren’t focused on talking
to witnesses at a crime scene or getting in a politician’s face about an
issue that’s been plaguing the community for years.
Although it was on a small scale, I began writing for one of the
Brooklyn College newspapers during my senior year and got a dose of
“hitting the pavement” when I had to talk to professors and fellow
students about things going on around campus. Okay – I used to “love to
write” but digging into people’s minds, revealing their opinions and
sticking my business where it didn’t belong attracted me more than I
expected! There was also a course which required students to take weekly
trips around the city to real press conferences, hosted by the mayor
and various dignitaries, where we fought with other media to get close
to the action. How many local students have the drive to get stomped on
while covering a public event?
We encourage journalism students to join our team and learn a rare
trade about a field where criticism, stone-walling and sleuthing knows
no boundaries. Are you gutsy enough to stand on Rockaway Parkway
and ask residents about quality of life issues? Do you know who your
elected officials are and can you muster the courage to call them about
policies involving young people?
It’s hard to tell someone who “loves to write” that the career they’re possibly interested in is much
more than sitting down and pettily “writing.” It’s also harder to tell
them that if they want to intern for us, the best way to get their foot
in the door is to get out onto the streets and find that story to write –
which is how reporting is usually done. A majority of students who
apply for internships with our paper don’t have a “niche” reporting
plan, nor do they show an interest in news in their community. I don’t
mean to be rude or discourage students from pursuing an internship – but
a demonstration and desire to get information is the foundation of any
local publication. What we do
seek is perspective interns who want to get their foot in the door by
prying into things going on in the community – someone who will produce a
story as if they’re actually being assigned to investigate an issue.
What’s more, going on an interview for an internship is much like
going for a job interview. Even if you might not have any real world
experience, getting into the field is about producing a clear and direct
plan for employment while showcasing your professional character. If
I’m interviewing a student who showcases that they are meek and insecure
or they express trepidation, I won’t be confident in bringing them on
board – how will they be in real life when faced with having to get in
the action?
So if you’re reading this and you have a student – or you are a
student – who’s interested in interning for the newspaper, have a plan,
have some nerve and be aggressive. That’s the ‘write’ stuff!
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