Summer journals: Learning about life while covering news
By Catalina Camia
Freedom Forum Diversity Fellow
08.02.02
|
| Julian Ramos |
During her summer internship at The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., Chips Quinn Scholar Jamila Johnson learned the hard way that you can’t wear an $80 pair of shoes when covering the impact of a mudslide.
But her story on an elderly man who fled the scene without being harmed was so good — complete with such rich details as the names of his dog and grandkids — that it was lauded in her newsroom as an example of excellent reporting and writing.
Meanwhile, Karla Gachet was busy taking photographs for The Tennessean in Nashville. The San Jose State University graduate has done such a good job that her internship has been extended through December.
“I have photographed people and situations that I feel have given me a greater understanding of the world around me," she said. “I love what I do, and this internship has only reinforced that feeling.”
As summer internships come to an end, the 78 Chips Quinn Scholars in the Summer 2002 program are reflecting on their most memorable experiences. Just as they did during orientation in May, the Scholars were asked to write a journal entry and share what they learned.
Many Scholars wrote about the fun they had being journalists, seeing their bylines on Page One, beating the competition and meeting new people. Some Scholars grew more confident about their writing and reporting skills; others said they were wiser and more mature because of their experiences.
For many Scholars, their internships helped them overcome their fears — of making mistakes, of not knowing everything, of being a different race than their colleagues or of just being alone and away from home.
“I wanted real life, and that’s what I got,” wrote Maude Wilson, a University of Southern California junior and intern at The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “Now I have a better handle on what to do and what not to do next time."
Tiffany Woods, a senior at Central Michigan University, said her internship at the Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal was all about leaving familiar things behind and getting a fresh outlook.
“It meant opening myself up to a world of new possibilities,” she said.
The world opened for many Chips Quinn Scholars. Here’s what they had to say about their Summer 2002 internships.
Only and lonely
John C. “Chips” Quinn Jr., the late editor of the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal, wanted newsrooms to look more like America. He wanted them filled with journalists of different races, backgrounds and experiences.
 |
| Elisa Almodovar |
For some Scholars, diversity is so much a part of their college lives that being the only black, Asian, Latino or Native American in a newsroom or town this Summer was a new experience. Being the “only” whatever sometimes turned out to be a lonely existence.
But Chips Quinn Scholars learned how to bridge differences in the newsroom and the community. They said this experience helped them understand why the news industry needs them.
Here’s what Scholars had to say about diversity during their internships:
“I learned that the importance of diversity in the newsroom is good but not enough. To make diversity work, reporters need to communicate and use the resources closest at hand — their colleagues.” — Kelli Nero, University of California-Berkeley and The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune.
Malaika David, a Virginia Union University student who interned at the Lancaster (Pa.) New Era, immediately put up a wall between herself and her colleagues. “Even after all the advice and training I received from the Freedom Forum on minorities in the newsroom, I came to my internship prepared to exclude myself. I was the first one to keep my distance. My co-workers did not. They initiated conversations with me, gave me advice, complimented me on my stories and invited me to their homes for dinner. …I am happy knowing that my co-workers at the Lancaster New Era were able to see past the color barrier that I put up.”
Minal Gandhi, a San Jose State University graduate and copy-editing intern at the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore., recalls how she felt as she drove behind a car that displayed a Confederate flag decal in its rear window.
“There were other instances when my skin color felt like a burden and it got me thinking: 'This is where the Freedom Forum has sent me?' ... But I figured out that this was precisely the reason I was sent here. Not because John and Loie Quinn chose to scare me, but because they felt it was necessary, just as their son Chips did, to shed some light on a little bit of darkness."
Lessons learned
As they got hands-on experience as journalists, the Scholars learned a new lesson with each assignment:
“Everything I really need to know about journalism, I learned this summer. Work hard. Learn from your mistakes. Play fair. Try again. Be nice. Don’t give up. Believe in yourself. Care. And have fun." — Andrea Fanta, Belmont University and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.
“This summer has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. I learned so much and yet so little. I have grown as a journalist but, most importantly, as a person." — Perry Smith, Tennessee Technological University and The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun.
“I learned that no matter how difficult a writing assignment may seem I can make it easy. My editors sometimes trusted my abilities more than I did." — Alisa Beckwith, University of Alabama and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News.
After a summer of bouncing from department to department and editor to editor, Dionne Wilson of Wayne State University and The Detroit News decided that she wants to learn even more.
“I guess it’s not so bad to feel like a human pinball. Afterward, you may be a little dizzy from the ride but, overall, you learn and grasp so much that once it’s over you realize: 'Hey, I like this. Let’s do it again.'”Julian Ramos, San Jose State University and The Wenatchee (Wash.) World, wrote: “I learned that journalism is my future.”
Discoveries
Every day, internships were the vehicle for Chips Quinn Scholars to discover something new:
Carolyn Lucas visited a morgue and saw a dead body for the first time as an intern for the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif. A few hours later, the Cal State-Chico student was observing chicken being stuffed with sausage for a story.
Lisa Padilla of Cal State-Fresno wrote about gang violence and police for The Fresno (Calif.) Bee, and Gabrielle Maple of Southern University won a stint on the science and health beat for the News-Star in Monroe, La., because of her zeal in covering everything from summer camps to the Miss Louisiana pageant.
Danielle Smith of Colorado State University will never forget the smell of death at a car accident she covered for the Fort Collins Coloradoan. And Alissa Hosten of Xavier University interviewed Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.
Other Scholars made discoveries this summer. Here’s what they wrote:
“I’ve done articles on gardening, the negative effects of spanking children, men using cell phones more than women, World War II veterans who want a memorial, the only Mexican grocery in town, a day in the life of an ice distributor … just to name a few. And tomorrow, for a story, I will try knitting. I am loving this!" — Elisa Almodovar, University of Texas-San Antonio and The Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald.
“Journalism puts you in the middle of everything, and I really love that aspect of it. The absolute best thing about my internship was that it was a glimpse into my future. This is what it will be like if I become newspaper journalist." — Gabriel Dillard, Cal State-Fresno and the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore.
Timothy San Pedro, University of Montana, covered a flood for The Free Press in Mankato, Minn., armed with only a notepad and pencil — and no raingear. ... It didn’t take long for my shirt to become see-through, my pants and shoes to become drenched, and my attitude to become that of a 5-year-old playing in the rain," he wrote. “I got the story — five, in fact — and returned to an office filled with my fellow (and older) journalists laughing and applauding my work for the day."
What they liked
Some interns liked the people in their newsrooms. Others liked the chance to do something new and different every day. The pluses outweighed the minuses.
“What I liked about my internship? Everything," said Shruti Mathur, a University of Minnesota student and intern at The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune.
Here are some of the other things Scholars enjoyed this summer:
“I loved being able to talk to people and then hearing from them about what a good job I did. I loved being able to make mistakes and not get yelled at for doing so. ... I loved my internship so much that if I didn’t have to go back to school I would beg and plead for a job there.” — Whitney Ross, Alabama State University and the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.
“We peer edit, ask for advice and, most of all, have fun. This internship is giving me work experience as well as lifelong friends.” — Jodie Lau, University of Arizona and another Scholar at The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune.
“I’m doing a lot of shooting — a bit of everything — but I love spot news. I love the rush that I get covering breaking news. It’s so exciting." — Leigh Jimmie, University of New Mexico-Gallup and the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune.
“Phone calls were returned on time and access was granted. ... As a student I only watched on the sidelines. The reaction I get from sources when they meet me is unreal. 'You work for the Republic?' they ask. 'Sure I do,' I respond." — Ofelia Madrid, University of California-Berkeley and The Arizona Republic.
“I’ll never forget the day I walked into the newsroom, picked up the newspaper and stared at the top of the fold of A-1. My mouth dropped. The only thing I could do was scream. My editor stood up immediately. Alarmed, he asked me, 'What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with your story?' And all I could say was, 'I’m on the front page.'” — Carolyn Lucas, Cal State-Chico and the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif.
Conquering fears
 |
| Iveory Morris |
The Fear Factor. It’s not just a television show; it was a reality for many Chips Quinn Scholars.
Orientation pumps up Scholars, who leave Arlington, Va., ready to take on the world. Some started the summer with internships already under their belt. Others were stars in college and expected to be the same during their Chips internships.
In their summer newsrooms, fear got in the way of some Scholars. Here’s how they conquered those fears and became better journalists:
Iveory Morris wrote several enterprise stories for display pages at The Detroit News, something that originally frightened her. ... I learned that no article is impossible to write. To get the best experience possible you should cover the types of stories that you fear the most," said the Central Michigan University junior.
Copy editing had intimidated Charlene Callier while she worked on her campus paper at Middle Tennessee State University. But she spent her internship at The Tennessean in Nashville as a features copy editor. “I learned that sometimes fear is that extra push you need to learn and achieve skills that you thought you could never conquer.”
“At The News-Star, no one pushes you in a corner and expects you to sit there and be content. They take a genuine interest in what you are doing and the contribution you are making. …They also want to make sure you are doing what you want to do, and that you’re satisfied with the opportunities given to you." — Rebecca Walker, University of Southern Mississippi, The News-Star, Monroe, La.
“I used to think I was failing because my story count wasn’t as high as others. It doesn’t matter how much I’ve written. What matters is what you take away from the job. The wealth of knowledge you leave with is what you should base your experience on, not your stack of clips." — Ben Aguirre Jr., San Jose State University and the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore.
What’s next?
John C. Quinn, a Freedom Forum advisory trustee who founded the Chips Quinn Scholars program, is fond of telling the interns that they leave orientation with an opportunity to succeed.
Many Scholars took his words to heart this summer. Some stumbled but picked themselves up. Others hit the ground running and never looked back. They took advantage of their opportunities.
 |
| Christian Moises |
The interns discovered they are the masters of their own fates. Here’s how they will approach what lies ahead:
“I’m not perfect and no matter how good a story is when I finish it, that nut graph can always be better. But this isn’t a blow to the confidence I have in my writing. It just means I always have to think and always sweat the small stuff. ... It’s the small stuff that can make you or break you." — Christian Moises, Louisiana Tech University and The Huntsville (Ala.) Times.
Juliana Crespo, University of Nevada at Reno and The Free Press in Mankato, Minn.: “While struggling with my own doubts, I came to a conclusion that filled me with patience, acceptance and ease. ... Follow my list:
Thanks for sharing your summer, Scholars. And welcome to the world of journalism.