Newseum Intern Tackles Marketing, Social Media

Christyn Enser works on multiple projects at the Newseum including promotion of the new Anchorman exhibit.

Dean’s Intern Christyn Enser at Newseum.

My first assignment at the Newseum was to take a personal tour of our 250,000-square-foot building. It came as a huge surprise. At past internships, I was treated to a quick tour of my own department before sitting down at my desk to get right to work. But the first day, my supervisor told me, was for exploration.

So, that’s what I did. It wasn’t the first time I had spent a few hours in the Newseum. One of the gifts I received from my family as a freshman was the Newseum’s annual Press Pass membership. Throughout my first year at AU, I would make regular trips to Pennsylvania Avenue to tour the exhibits or spend an evening with renowned journalists like Dan Rather and Andrea Mitchell at Reel Journalism screenings. I was even fortunate enough to attend the Green Inaugural Ball at the Newseum this January to celebrate the re-election of President Barack Obama. No matter the event, my experiences at the Newseum have always been unforgettable.

My internship in the Newseum’s broadcasting department has been the best experience yet. I work as a Web writer and social media coordinator to create content for thousands of Newseum “followers” on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr. I work one-on-one with the marketing department to tailor messages to each profile and determine when they should be published. Social media management is not something that can be done alone or with a half-hearted effort. I’ve found that effective communication on our company’s online profiles takes time and strategic planning. My ongoing project has been choosing the week’s “Today in News History” events that connect to Newseum archived content, exhibits and our monthly programming. The opportunity to educate and engage our online audience has been extremely rewarding, especially since the Newseum lets me have ownership over my work and trusts me to get the job done.

The most exciting project I’ve been a part of so far is promoting the Newseum’s Anchorman exhibit, which will open Nov. 14. It’s been interesting to see the technical side of the Newseum’s partnership with Paramount Pictures and the constant effort to strike a balance between being educational and entertaining. That aspect of the Newseum is at the center of its success, and it’s no wonder with the diversity of talent at the company. Visiting different departments each week and learning from the best of the best in video production, education, human resources and exhibits has helped me understand how the Newseum can accomplish its goals. The employees are museum people and news people. The Newseum is a giant newsroom for breaking news today and for breaking news of the past. It’s the only company of its kind.

If someone had told 16-year-old me that I’d be working at the Newseum, I wouldn’t have believed them. Now, it seems natural. It makes sense that I would return to a place that always reminds me of the value of good journalism and great storytelling.