Challenges and Teamwork at NBC4

By Dean’s Intern Courtney Rozen at NBC4

It’s been an extraordinary honor to serve as the Dean’s Intern at NBCWashington.com, NBC4’s news site.

As an intern, I’m responsible for writing stories for web, cutting broadcast packages, crafting posts for social media and culling stories from the wires. However, no two days are alike here. One day, I’ll be interviewing a public information officer about illegal fireworks in D.C. Another day, I’ll be downtown at the American History Museum, previewing their latest exhibit by building an Instagram story. I’ve learned how to tell stories with clarity, accuracy and precision.

A highlight of the summer was working with NBC4’s Susan Hogan, who leads their consumer division. I pitched a story to my editor about how other retailers such as Sears, Target and Sur la Table were running counter sales to Amazon Prime Day, the company’s flagship online sale. I ended up researching deals for hours, eventually bringing the story to Susan, who transformed it into an on-air story. My web story was picked up by all 13 NBC-owned television stations, and featured on-air by Susan (what an honor!).

Another high point of the summer was covering the FIRST Global Challenge, termed the “robotics Olympics.” There, I met a group of teenagers from Iran representing their country at the competition. I learned that sanctions blocked the Iranian teens from receiving parts to build their robot, so a group of Virginia high schoolers stepped up. The Iranians sent their designs via Skype to the Virginia teens, who built the robot for them here in the U.S. The robot was ready for them to compete when they arrived. I wrote a story on the collaboration, which NBC4 anchor Doreen Gentzler also reported on-air.

While I’ll never forget these experiences, the strongest takeaway here is the coaching I’ve received from the digital team staff. From teaching me how to transform a press release into a strong article, to bringing me along to content planning meetings, they’ve truly made me feel as though I am part of the team. I’m forever grateful to them for all they’ve taught me.