2008 Woodie Awards
Internship informs U-News position
Emily Iorg
Issue date: 1/9/06 Section: Forum
- Page 1 of 1
Take a winter break or accept an internship at The Kansas City Star?
Despite a student's desperate need for rest and relaxation, the choice was obvious. And my decision was the right one.
I enter this semester greater equipped to lead a newspaper.
My internship opportunity gave me fresh perspective on my role as editor in chief of the University News. While the U-News may operate on a much smaller scale than a large city paper such as The Star, in many ways journalism is the same anywhere.
A reporter must always provide accurate, timely information of interest to the community he or she covers. This goal is accomplished through interviews, research and tedious but necessary fact-checking.
I have definitely become a stronger reporter following the internship. Daily deadlines-different from a weekly paper such as the U-News-demand expedient writing and determined contact with sources.
Though the scope may be different, the U-News is responsive to readers and its student population just as The Star serves Kansas City area residents.
Newspapers everywhere have a responsibility to the community it serves.
One way the University News accomplishes this is through reader feedback. The amount of e-mails and calls received regarding a U-News article is far less than response to a Kansas City Star article-circulation is far greater-but each is equally important.
Whether students have story ideas or note a correction, the feedback is crucial. It shapes future coverage and enables the U-News to be more responsive to the campus we serve.
I did notice greater engagement from readers at The Star-many in Kansas City take their role as informed citizens seriously, as they should. On this note I call for UMKC students to do the same, and more often.
If you want to point out something on campus or take issue with the way we cover a topic, let us know. Only through interaction with those on campus can the U-News adequately fulfill the needs of student readers.
Finally, I encourage fellow students to take advantage of internship opportunities.
An internship is about more than adding a line to one's resume; it can help you decide if the career path you're on is realistic for you and personally satisfying, as well as enhance your current abilities as a student and worker.
Don't think of an internship as another burden amongst the stresses of college-view it as an invaluable opportunity to figure out what to do with your life.
eiorg@unews.com
Despite a student's desperate need for rest and relaxation, the choice was obvious. And my decision was the right one.
I enter this semester greater equipped to lead a newspaper.
My internship opportunity gave me fresh perspective on my role as editor in chief of the University News. While the U-News may operate on a much smaller scale than a large city paper such as The Star, in many ways journalism is the same anywhere.
A reporter must always provide accurate, timely information of interest to the community he or she covers. This goal is accomplished through interviews, research and tedious but necessary fact-checking.
I have definitely become a stronger reporter following the internship. Daily deadlines-different from a weekly paper such as the U-News-demand expedient writing and determined contact with sources.
Though the scope may be different, the U-News is responsive to readers and its student population just as The Star serves Kansas City area residents.
Newspapers everywhere have a responsibility to the community it serves.
One way the University News accomplishes this is through reader feedback. The amount of e-mails and calls received regarding a U-News article is far less than response to a Kansas City Star article-circulation is far greater-but each is equally important.
Whether students have story ideas or note a correction, the feedback is crucial. It shapes future coverage and enables the U-News to be more responsive to the campus we serve.
I did notice greater engagement from readers at The Star-many in Kansas City take their role as informed citizens seriously, as they should. On this note I call for UMKC students to do the same, and more often.
If you want to point out something on campus or take issue with the way we cover a topic, let us know. Only through interaction with those on campus can the U-News adequately fulfill the needs of student readers.
Finally, I encourage fellow students to take advantage of internship opportunities.
An internship is about more than adding a line to one's resume; it can help you decide if the career path you're on is realistic for you and personally satisfying, as well as enhance your current abilities as a student and worker.
Don't think of an internship as another burden amongst the stresses of college-view it as an invaluable opportunity to figure out what to do with your life.
eiorg@unews.com
