“The Rise and Fall of Media” by David Carr

The NY Times recently published an article by David Carr, who talks about the different world of journalism us students are getting into. “The Rise and Fall of Media.”

Carr remembers the days when starting at the bottom (interns and rookie reporters) and working your way up was what every journalist did. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward did it, but can we? Is becoming the veteran reporter good enough anymore? Is just writing even good enough anymore?

Old and new media is colliding, as Carr said. Business models and shifting and the publishing industry is now onto a trial and error way of life.

So where do we come in? We are the students that learn about all the legendary journalists and their Pulitzer Prizes. Their rise to journalism fame. But it isn’t that simple anymore (not to discredit the efforts and successes of top-notch journalists). Now, journalists our age need to speak a different language.

MLB looking for 30 interns nationwide

I received an e-mail from Rowan University’s internship coordinator. Personally, I wish I knew enough about baseball statistics and sports writing to apply for this. There is a $500 per week pay. I wouldn’t mind traveling to work for the Yankees everyday for $500 per week…

2010 Summer Internships

If you have any questions, contact Bill Hill at bill.hill@MLB.com and put the words “Internship Info” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.

Want an exciting summer covering Major League Baseball? MLB.com offers 30 reporting internships to aspiring sportswriters. These internships are designed to give associates the full range of experiences that comes with covering a professional team. Each associate will work closely with a site reporter to give visitors to a team’s Web site all the information they need to follow the team from Opening Day to season’s end. Each Major League team will have one associate.
We will be looking for talented college juniors and seniors, as well as graduate students, for our 2010 Summer Internship Program. If you are graduating in May or June of 2010, you are still eligible. The application deadline is Dec. 11, 2009. We will make our selections by the end of January.
We expect each intern to spend a minimum of 10 weeks in the program, dates determined by a person’s college schedule. The more flexible an applicant is in terms of which Major League city he or she can work in, the better the person’s chances of being selected. Interns will be paid $500 per week.
Applicants should submit a resume, 5 to 10 published articles, a list of references and a 750-word essay on why MLB.com should select you? Your clips ideally will show a variety of work, including game stories, previews and features.
MLB.com also will be offering a limited number of internships for copy editors/producers. Associates are responsible for arranging their own housing and transportation.
Please mail all internship applications to:

Bill Hill
Assistant Managing Editor/MLB.com
Attn: Internship Application
14825 N. 97th Place
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

The Daily Journal internships available

The Daily Journal of Vineland is seeking interns for spring and summer semesters. This is where I am currently interning, and I couldn’t recommend the publication more. Below, Jerry Staas-Haught details what internships are available and what the publication is looking for:

We have multiple internship opportunities in News, Features, Photography and Sports.

The Daily Journal has had considerable success with interns from Rowan University over the past several years.

As an adjunct professor at Rowan – and a College of Communication graduate – I am familiar with the journalism program and the level of education students receive at the college. Our internship here is tailored to complement that education and help young journalists grow into the trade.

We have taken on interns of all skill levels and have demonstrated marked success with each one. Many of our interns have quickly landed full-time jobs in journalism after graduation and have reported their time with The Daily Journal proved the element they needed to become a confident and competent journalist.

The internship program here is a true working internship. Student interns are treated as a member of the editorial staff. They attend news events, conduct interviews and write stories that actually appear in our print and Web products.

Atlantic City Weekly internships available

Atlantic City Weekly is currently interviewing for their spring 2010 internship positions. Jeff Schwachter, editor, sent the following about the publication and its positions:

 

Dear Editorial Internship Applicants,
Here’s a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Jersey Shore while gaining some valuable experience (and academic credit) interning in the editorial department at Atlantic City Weekly.

Atlantic City Weekly, is a free newspaper based in the Atlantic City area since 1974. Atlantic City Weekly is the source for what’s happening in South Jersey. Published every Thursday, it covers entertainment, casinos, dining, movies, nightlife, gambling, news and photos of the local Atlantic City region’s scene. Our Web site ACWeekly.com is updated daily with video, blogs, photos and stories.

The AC Weekly intern will get a chance to learn the ins and outs of the newspaper business — and its Web site — while gaining experience at all levels of the editorial process. While interns will specialize in fact checking and updating cultural and entertainment listings, there are opportunities for video production and editing, writing by lines, and the internship can be done for academic credit. The internship is unpaid. The intern can also gain experience with Web-based content for our Web site acweekly.com.

Qualifications:

AC Weekly is looking for interns to work flexible hours 2 days a week this spring. If you are interested, send a letter, resume and any published clips to:

Attn: Internship Program
Atlantic City Weekly
Bayport One
8025 Black Horse Pike, suite 350
West Atlantic City, NJ 08232
609.646.4848 ext. 23
jschwachter@acweekly.com

Application deadline: Jan. 15, 2010

Gloucester County Times internships available

The News department at the Gloucester County Times is currently looking for at least two interns for the Spring semester. There may also be openings in the other departments.

Jessica Beym, city editor at the Gloucester County Times is looking for spring and summer interns. Below are requirements and what the publication is looking for in its interns, in Beym’s words.

We’ve only recently formed a relationship with Rowan University to start bringing interns here and so far it has been extremely beneficial both to our publication and, I believe, to the students who’ve come here looking for real world experience. Many of them have walked away with a strong variety of clips — some of them being front page articles.

We have five departments in which a journalism student could possibly gain intern experience: New, Features, Sports, Photography and the Copy Desk (which isn’t just copy editing. It’s mostly layout on Indesign, writing headlines and also light editing).

In an intern:

• Someone who has experience reporting and who has clips to show for it, such
  as within the college’s newspaper. These applicants will be preferred among
  all others.
• Someone who is ambitious, a motivated self-starter and not afraid to jump
  right in and get their feet wet.
• Someone who is familiar with the Gloucester County area and our publication
  and is willing to bring their own ideas to the table.
• Someone who has experience, or isn’t limited, to learning about all aspects
  of the editorial department such as writing breaking news stories, writing
  features, blogging news on our web site, or even taking photos.

Photography in low light

I don’t know how you guys feel about it, but shooting photos in low light is hard to master in my opinion. I’m still learning how to do it, but I came across this blog by lensaddiction. She is learning how to shoot with a digital camera and is posting her experiences.

This post, “Low Light Shooting,” is particularly helpful.

Enjoy! And if you get a chance, read through her older posts as well. And then go out and try it!

Have a specialty

For the past few weeks, I have been harping on the importance of knowing how to do anything possible before you leave your internship. But, I haven’t spoken about having a specialty. That is, having something you are truly an expert at, such as photography or feature stories or even straight news.

This advice is not to confuse you, it is simply to challenge you. I am not taking away from learning everything you can at your internship–I am only pointing out that it is just as important to hone your craft.

Personally, I am good at interviewing. I have an innate curiosity and it is extremely hard to get me to stop asking questions. Eventually, the right question followed by the perfect answer sneaks in.

Because I have become good at the art of interviewing, my writing has greatly improved. There is nothing like a good kicker quote at the end of an article, and I have developed the ability to find those.

But, to find your own specialty, you have to listen to constructive criticism (and a lot of it). I learned what the right questions are by trial and error and by listening to my editors and my peers. The worst thing a writer can do is think that they are perfect and there is no room for improvement. I don’t care if you are Nicholas D. Kristof, you always have room to grow.

From the perspective of, the interns.

I could talk to as many experts as possible, but for someone looking for an internship–it is best to hear advice from the people who are going through it.

Other students are invaluable teachers when it comes to finding and getting an internship.

Kate Harman is a senior, and she used her resources on campus to find an internship at Atlantic City Weekly. Ashley Zazzarino is a senior, and spent her summer working behind the scenes at Wife Swap, a job that she found on Craig’s List. Jess Landolfi is a senior and is currently interning at the Gloucester County Times.

These girls are my peers, and have given me valuable advice toward my career and my internship. If anyone would like more information about these students and their internships, please feel free to ask.

I covered an election night and survived

I walked into a ballroom in the Ramada Inn in Vineland, N.J. and found myself at Cumberland County Democratic Headquarters. It was quiet, the pizza hadn’t arrived, the candidates hadn’t arrived and there was minimal chatter.

One hour later, I found myself sprinting around the room, trying to find candidates before the results came in–trying to feed quotes and context to my editor over the phone. Myself and another reporter split the work, while our photographer ran around the room snapping pictures of nervous candidates.

It was breaking news at its finest, and my boss trusted me to be a part of that. I had to talk to important people while remembering that the ringing phone in my pocket was my editor wondering where the numbers were.

The best advice I  got that night: don’t take anything too seriously.

Internship round-up

The Intern Queen is one of my favorite sites for interns, as well as one of the most helpful blogs that I have found. Lauren Berger began the site as an experienced intern: she had 15 during her four years in college. Recently, she wrote a guest blog for Ed 2010, “15 Tips from 15 Internships.” Although her tips do not apply directly to journalism, they are still incredibly helpful when starting that first internship.

Although the New York Times article is a bit old, it still rings true for any intern. “Internship is secured, but a seat? That’s tricky.” Internships are not purely for experience–many of us are hoping for a paid position at the company we spent so many volunteer hours at. But let’s be serious, in journalism, that may not happen. All we can do is try our best and make the best impression. Mostly, we just hope we will (a) get out alive and (b) have any job available after we graduate…

The Detroit Free Press has provided a fantastic year-long schedule for internship-hunters. The “Newspaper Internship calendar” may look like a lot, but it could land you your dream internship.

7 ways to keep journalism alive – from 10,000 words.

10,000 words posted “7 ways to keep journalism alive.” I think journalists our age especially need to pay attention to new and creative ideas, especially in the multimedia world. We are the future of journalism and we have the ability to save  it. Don’t rely on the fat cats at the news organizations, get out there and do it yourself!

Is journalism dead? Not even close. Attendees at this past week’s Online News Association conference were brimming with ideas about how to sustain journalism and the technologies that will support the industry. Want to be a part of the future of journalism and technology? Here’s what you need to know.

1. Explore new technologies, but be discerning

In her workshop Top Ten Tech Trends You’ve Still Never Heard Of, Webbmedia Group’s Amy Webb threw a list of amazing new technologies at the audience like lightning bolts, each one more dazzling than the last. While all the technologies mentioned had the ability to elevate journalism, it would be foolhardy to adopt them all at the same time. Instead, choose the tools that you think are right for your organization and can do more than just be the “cool” new tool.

2. Experiment, but don’t be afraid to fail

The journalism culture insists that new ideas be tested and proven before they are actually put into place, the opposite of other industries where failure is a part of the process. Journalism innovators have such a heavy burden on their shoulders because the world is watching and sometimes waiting to cry FAIL should a project go under. Don’t be afraid of failure or the naysayers, because as journalism educator Ann Grimes said, it is okay to “fail early and often.”

3. Follow the wisdom of the crowd

There were many great panels at ONA, but the absolute best and most informative wasn’t created by conference producers, but rather was voted up by conference attendees. Instead of a group of pre-selected panelists, the lively “un-conference” session led by Publish2’s Ryan Sholin encouraged input from anyone who wanted to speak and the diverse viewpoints contributed to the collective knowledge of the group and a better understanding of the topic.

4. Collaborate with others outside of journalism

Looking to other journalists for inspiration can be equivalent to the blind leading the blind. The way to truly innovate is to look outside of journalism for ways to improve the industry. Take a cue from Stanford University and a number of other journalism schools who have partnered with other departments to come up with new ways technology can be used to enhance and sustain journalism.

For more, visit “7 ways to keep journalism alive.”

They won’t hold your hand

The best thing about interning at a local paper is the fact that I have the ability to learn everything about it.

I have learned how to write a story in less than 15 minutes. Turn press releases into news articles. Interview public figures, cover town meetings, take photos and use Photoshop– all without getting anyone a single cup of coffee (although, they have been so good and patient with me, that I would not be opposed).

I am eight weeks into my internship at The Daily Journal. By week two, I was sent out on my own assignments. I am trusted to cover events and have a turn around time of less than 24 hour, and I love it.

I was terrified when they sent me out on my own, but I had no choice but to step up. I had to find my way around Vineland and learn common names, even how to deal with the police when I cover the cops beat.

When you are looking for an internship or working at your internship, don’t be afraid to go at it alone. I am lucky  that I have a small staff and patient reporters to teach me, but they are certainly not holding my hand. And at a larger publication, you may not always have someone there.

As an intern, you have to learn to do things on your own from the start. Know your job, know it before you start. If the company has a style book, learn it. Read the publication religiously before you begin and understand what they cover as well as how they cover it.

And keep writing or taking photos or doing layout on your own time. Give yourself as much time as possible to become an expert in your chosen field.

But never be afraid to ask questions. As much as you may learn, you will never know everything. Don’t ever think you are at a point where you can stop listening and learning.

Learning photography isn’t easy

I have a Kodak digital camera, a small point and shoot. And I’ve never used it for more than the family get together or to take pictures of my friends. But The Daily Journal has me taking photos now, and I can’t rely on using their digital SLR point and shoot all the time–sometimes I need to take matters into my own hands.

But I have come to find out that I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to photojournalism, and at a local newspaper I should know how to do everything. Fortunately, reporters at my internship are extremely helpful and the staff photographers are more than willing to answer my questions. But, I wanted to learn for myself.

So, I took my Kodak and I went to my boyfriend’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt ceremony. I did nothing technical–I really did trial and error. But, I ended up learning a lot about my camera.

I had no idea how to set the flash in a low lighting situation. For this picture, my first one, I had my camera on "auto."

I found a setting for low-light called "high ISO." This photo has better lighting, but it has a very grainy quality.

Internship round-up

• 10,000 Words is a blog created by Mark Luckie, a print journalist turned blogger. His post, “10 Ways to Make your Editor Love You,” is a great look at what reporters can do to strike up a good relationship with their bosses. This is especially true for interns, looking to be hired after they graduate or simply looking to make a good impression. Interns have to work ten times harder to prove themselves, especially if they are interning at a local paper in a newsroom full of veteran reporters and editors.

   

• Jobs Page: Your link to newspaper careers posted an article entitled “Making the Most of your Internship,” which is a great article if you are either looking to start an internship or even simply survive in an internship.  Personally, my editor at The Daily Journal has told me time and time again that I need to have more confidence in my writing. Easier said than done, but great advice nonetheless. Joe Grimm of The Detroit Free Press says,

“That’s Tip No. 1 for a successful internship: Relax. We newspaper editors are extremely wise (as well as being modest), and would never have chosen you if you couldn’t hack it. We have confidence in you; you should, too.”

 

• Scholarship opportunity: N.J. radio station, New Jersey 101.5, is offering a scholarship to N.J. communications students called the Eric Van Ness Memorial Scholarship for Creativity. According to the Web site, “The scholarship is available to students in their senior year of classes at an accredited New Jersey college or university with a major in radio broadcasting.”

Q&A: William Hill

William Hill is the Assistant Dean of Career Services at Monmouth University in Long Branch, N.J. Hill assists students and alumni find their place in the career world. Hill helped me during my decision to transfer colleges by looking over my résumé, which was in shambles before he got his hands on it.

I e-mailed Hill so that I could share his valuable advice with you.

Q. What do you think is the biggest mistake students make when beginning to look for an internship in communications?

A. They don’t realize how much time and effort they might need to land a good opportunity. Competition can be daunting.

Q. What is the best thing a student can do?

A. To get an internship? Network, network, network. Network with everyone in their sphere of contact: friends, faculty, neighbors, influential people in their community, etc. Also, write a killer resume and cover letter – absolutely no mistakes, and written clearly and concisely.

Q. Can you sum up the steps a student should take when making their resume and clip portfolio?

A. The resume should focus on skills sets and accomplishments. Reputations are made not on what one says one can do, but rather on what one has done. I’m not familiar with clip portfolios so I’ll pass on that part of the question.

Q. What types of extracurricular activities should students looking for communications internships be involved in?

A. Memberships in student newspapers, radio and TV clubs, anything where they need to mimic the skills they’ll need in the real world. Even volunteer work in an agency or PR firm would help.

Q. What problems, if any, do you foresee students facing while looking for internships as the newspaper industry rapidly changes?

A. The slow job market is the major issue facing most people looking for a job right now, whether an internship or full-time spot. Companies are trying to save money, and newspapers are especially hard hit as ad revenue drops due to consumer shifts to electronic media for their news information.