Current Internship Illuminates the World of Public Broadcasting

Below is a first-person account from Dean’s Intern Graham Vyse on his internship at Current.

Whenever I think about my childhood, especially the earliest parts I can remember, I wind up thinking about public broadcasting. Like many Millennials, I spent formative years learning science from Bill Nye, taking field trips with Ms. Frizzle, and wondering the whereabouts of Carmen Sandiego. I can still hum the theme to Sesame Street, and I still get sentimental thinking about Fred Rogers, the best neighbor any child could ask for. I haven’t forgotten that PBS and NPR helped inspire me to pursue a career in journalism, and that’s one of many reasons I’m proud to be a summer 2013 Dean’s Intern at Current, the trade publication for people in public media.

Since arriving at the newspaper in late May, I’ve earned multiple bylines, reporting on major developments for the PBS NewsHour, WBUR-Boston’s online coverage of a huge Massachusetts scandal, and a WUNC radio series about wrongful imprisonment in America. I’ve interviewed hosts, producers, station mangers, and even a top public media lobbyist. My work has taken me to a panel discussion at the Washington Post building and a meeting of public media bigwigs in downtown Washington, D.C. Along the way, I’ve practiced my live-tweeting and deepened my knowledge of WordPress, our content management system.

As I was preparing to start this internship, I confess I wasn’t looking forward to my commute. Current’s offices are in Takoma Park, Md., a forty-minute Metro ride away from my house in Tenleytown. But even that hasn’t been bad. I now have built-in time to read the news or scroll through tweets without feeling guilty! Also, Takoma turns out to have a great little main street. I’ve become a regular at Mark’s Kitchen, where the waitstaff knows my order — a delicious peanut butter BLT — by heart.

I can also report that I’ve had a great time working with Current’s staff, especially Karen Everhart, Dru Sefton, and Andrew Lapin. I’m grateful for the responsibility they’ve given me and the guidance they’ve provided. As we prepare for the last six weeks I’ll be here, I’m excited to work with them on a few more stories, which I unfortunately can’t discuss yet! I’ll be sure to keep you all updated as the summer progresses. It’s great to hear that all of the Dean’s Interns appear to be having great experiences this summer.