There’s Always Something to Learn

Working on an article close to deadline is pretty stressful but good practice as a reporter!

By Dean’s Intern Teta Alim at Current.org

Last summer, I was a social media and web intern for a personal stylist and wrote music reviews for an indie music site. I knew I wanted to continue getting writing experience during my fall semester. I just didn’t know where. Thankfully, applying for a Dean’s Internship helped me orient my goals into doing something more journalistic.

When I started my internship at Current, I had little knowledge about the world of public media beyond going onto the NPR website to stream albums early. Current reports solely on news in public media and coming from a background of music journalism and social media, I wasn’t sure if I was the right person for the job. It didn’t matter because as long as I showed dedication and interest in my position, I was confident I’d be able to catch up.

Thankfully, my coworkers and editors were really helpful and patient when I first started out. I learned how to find stories specifically about public media which meant using RSS feeds and getting into contact with people in public media. I learned how to craft interview questions and improve my interviewing skills. I learned how to write to a deadline and how to communicate with my editors.

Seeing my article in print is definitely a cool feeling!

Most importantly, I’ve not only learned so much about public media – there’s a wealth of exciting programming that’s happening right now FYI – but also about journalism. Everything that I’ve learned in an SOC class was finally being put to good use.

I’ve always been told that being a bit knowledgeable in a lot of things is better but I’ve learned the value of being an expert on one thing. I’m definitely not saying that I’m an expert on public media, but I’ve gained a lot of pertinent knowledge about it. Being a reporter at Current has also peaked my interest about getting involved in public media.

Right now, I’m working on a couple different stories at once, one involving a new series for public TV and one involving the fundraising efforts of a public radio station. I’m planning on pitching a new story to my editor as soon as I finish what’s on my plate. I hope to also be involved more with the print side of upcoming publications and get the absolute most out of this internship.