Reporting on a Wide Range of Topics at Current

By Dean‘s Intern Deanna Mudry at Current

It’s an exciting time to be a journalist — especially one working in public media. Although Current is a trade publication, it’s far from technical. I’ve had the chance to cover very newsy topics like the first national database to track hate crimes since the post-election spike and a Vermont Public Radio trip to Jordan that was complicated by the executive travel ban. I’ve also gotten to talk to filmmakers, podcasters and station managers, so there’s a nice mix of hard news and feature stories to work on. Another good thing about my internship is that I’m often given several stories to work on at a time, so I can always switch things up and stay busy. From a small office in Takoma Park, Md., I’m able to cover stories happening in places like Arizona, Illinois and even my hometown. Coordinating interviews across time zones can be a challenge, but are well worth it to gain experience reporting on such a wide range of topics that are all connected by public media.

When I first came to Current, I was intimidated by the specialized knowledge of the field that all of the staff had. Even though I check NPR news each morning and love PBS classics like “Rick Steves Europe” and “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood,” I was afraid my rudimentary knowledge of the outlets they’re on just wouldn’t cut it. But luckily Current’s small reporting staff are extremely knowledgeable and always eager to help me learn the ins and outs of a field as vast as public media. The intimate newsroom makes it easy to hold daily editorial meetings where we bounce ideas off of each other, and are probably one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve had as a journalist so far.