Understanding the Power of Reporting at NBC4

By Dean’s Intern Taameen Mohammad at NBC4

I’m nearing the end of my digital internship at NBC4 and I’m really satisfied with what I’m learning here. I’ve had my first story go viral, gotten a photo with the Stanley Cup, took photos at Capital Pride but what has stuck with me the most is when we started reporting on the Capital Gazette shooting in Annapolis, Maryland.

In the middle of a “normal” news cycle that Thursday afternoon, I heard the assignment manager talking about a tweet from an intern at Capital Gazette requesting help on Twitter. People crowded around the news desk and it was quickly evident we had to drop everything and start reporting. I was cutting stills from the chopper camera to upload on the website while my inbox was flooded with every news alert as the situation developed. Despite the haunting footage of people evacuating and the worrying possibility of casualties, the need to report the story to the public was stronger than the face of violence.

I can only imagine what it’s like to lose a fellow local journalist, but I know now that I am even more prepared to carry on the legacy of news reporting that the five brave Capital Gazette reports left behind.