As School of Journalism students' internships wrap up, two students are filing their last reports for the Web site.

Carrie Ritchie has worked at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times as part of the Poynter Scholarship. Whitney Babbitt worked at WTHR in Indianapolis. Both have filed weekly reports on their summer work and how it has affected their longterm career plans.




Carrie Ritchie, Aug. 10
My suitcases are packed. Well, mostly. I keep wondering, "How did I fit all this in my car the first time?" but I'm optimistic that it'll eventually work out.

Now I just have to finish my last stories by Friday, clean my desk, and turn in my keys and my company-issued cell phone, which I will miss dearly. And I have to say goodbye to everybody.

I have to say goodbye to Molly, my mentor, who didn't know she was my mentor until a month into my internship when it was posted in the company newsletter. We still laugh about that, but she never needed the title. She took time out of her schedule to show me around a week before my internship started and we've been friends ever since. Whenever I needed help, she was there, whether the problem directly pertained to work or not. I'll miss our days as the only two reporters in the Dade City office, working on our stories and taking breaks to chat. If I have at least one coworker like Molly at future jobs, I know I'll be able to survive the "real world" just fine.

I have to say goodbye to Jon, my editor, who has helped me find my own voice in my writing. I know I still have to work at it, but I also know I've improved. I've never had an editor treat me as an equal as much as Jon did. We worked together to improve my articles and I've learned so much from him about both writing and editing. He also helped me get the hang of multimedia pieces and volunteered his time to produce two videos to go along with features I wrote. It's a privilege to work with someone who makes you better and wants to see you succeed, and Jon has been that kind of editor.

I have to say goodbye to Jamal, whom I've adopted as my second mentor, though he hates to be called that. On my first day, he showed me the ropes of the cops and courts beats. I had no clue how to report either. Last week, we shared a byline on a murder story, and it was one of the most fun times I've had reporting. He taught me how to ask the tough questions, something I definitely needed to learn. And I proved him wrong a few times, too, like when he told me no one I interviewed would take me seriously if I color coordinated my purse and umbrella.

And I have to say goodbye to Bill, my supervisor, and Bridget, my editor. They've been a wonderful support system and continually listened whenever I needed advice on a story. They've given me great pointers that I know will help me for the rest of my career. They've also given me the freedom to choose some of my own stories and pursue tips. They've trusted my judgment completely, and I'll always be grateful for that.

There are so many others who I will be sad to leave, and I hope that I'll get the chance to return to the Tampa Bay area to visit.

I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect when I heard Pasco County's known for its nudist colonies and crazy criminals, among other things. But I couldn't have had a better internship. For me, it was perfect. I was treated like a member of the staff and I certainly kept busy. I'm leaving with a stack of great clips and dozens of friends.

And I'd like to think I'm leaving a little something behind. No matter where I end up, part of my mind will always wander back to the St. Petersburg Times and Pasco, as it does with all fond memories.


Carrie Ritchie, Aug. 1
After I returned home late last night from a farewell dinner with the interns, I realized I've done them a horrible injustice. They've been an integral part of my internship but I haven't mentioned them in this blog.

We're all close, but my two closest intern friends are Sarah Mishkin, the fearless leader of the Yale Daily News, and Kameel Stanley, managing editor at Central Michigan Life at Central Michigan University. Through our time together, I've gotten to know them both well and have developed personal and professional respect for them.

At 19, Kameel is the baby of the bunch. She'll be a junior in the fall, but this is her fourth internship. She's lived all over Michigan and has interned at the Jackson Citizen Patriot, the Grand Rapids Press and The (Port Huron) Times Herald. She also apprenticed at the Detroit Free Press. She's reporting in the Clearwater bureau this summer (and she's also my roommate). It's extremely hard to get an internship at the Times (one of this year's interns has been trying for the past three years), so to do it so young is impressive. She clearly knows it takes a lot of experience to make it in journalism, and I know she'll go far.

Sarah might be the most adventurous of us all. From spending two weeks as a vegan to getting a tattoo just to surprise people, she's willing to try anything. After her she finishes her duties as editor-in-chief at the YDN in October, she's jetting to Egypt to work for Egypt Today, a magazine based in Cairo. She just decided she wanted to go to Egypt for a couple months, so she e-mailed the magazine and asked to work there. Her theory is that if you can survive in a country where you don't know anyone or speak the native language, then you can survive anywhere. I told her I'd take her word for it when she comes back. She admits she's a bit nervous, but she's hoping her Lonely Planet Egypt Guide will serve her well. I admire her courage because I would never have the guts to do something like that.

I've heard that everyone you meet changes you in some way, and I think that's true of Kameel and Sarah. Kameel has made me understand just how important experience is and that it comes with hard work, not always with age. Sarah has taught me to be a little more courageous and to embrace new opportunities because, after all, we only live once.


Whitney Babbitt, July 31
You'd think that when interning at a TV station all summer, I wouldn't be able to get away from the cameras. I mean, they are everywhere but usually not pointed at me. When broadcasts are live, no one takes any chances in letting a rookie like me get too near the lens when it comes to air time. I've had the chance to tape some stand ups for my packages and lay some voice tracks, but I want the meaty stuff. IUSTV is no WTHR, but I do miss getting that on air rush that doesn’t care how large your audience base is.

That's why it was so great to get some in studio time last week. The station gives interns a chance to do a short anchoring stint for their resume tapes. The script is a three or so minute cut in from 13's 24-hour news station. Everyone kept asking me if I was nervous, but I wasn’t. Why would I be? If you’ve read off one prompter, you’ve read off them all. And like most interns, I had an over confidence that I was totally prepared. And I thought I was, until I left the bathroom.

So I’ve done my own make-up for TV before. We do have studio lights on our set at school. The problem is I’m a less-is-more kind of girl. I don’t wear foundation because it clogs the pores, I avoid lip liner because my mouth is gigantic, eye pencil makes my almond shaped lenses look smaller than they are, and as a general rule, I like my hair to move. But I was definitely painted and I thought I looked, well, filmable. Just to be certain, I asked our lead lady anchor to give me the once over.

"You look good," she said, "but I'm not sure you're wearing enough make-up. Let me pull you into the light, and see these flyaways? You need to pat those down."

She then led me back to the powder room. Like Mary Poppins, she stuck an entire arm into her cosmetics duffel and began pulling out her tools. I applied foundation as she held up a palette of lip liners, looking for my shade. She gave me her eye shadow and pencil of choice and left me to shellac my tousled tresses until they made a pleasant crunching sound to the touch. I didn’t feel much like myself but I felt more like an anchor.

I read, and I'm pretty sure that my face moved normally under its matte facade. It definitely looked better than it would have had I been left to my own devices. Even before I was interested in news I had learned one thing, and it resonates now more than ever: Pain is beauty.


Carrie Ritchie, July 25
Now that I’m down to the last two-and-a-half weeks of my internship, I have to start prioritizing my stories. It’s hard to believe almost three months have gone by, but I want to make sure I end on a strong note.

This week I’m continuing an investigative piece I’m writing on public transportation.

I’m also working on a feature about an attorney who specializes in setting up pet trusts. In fact, he told me Florida set up a law to allow pet trusts, since people can’t put pets in their wills (you can’t leave property to property). It should be fun to write, and pet stories always capture people’s attention. One thing I’ve learned this summer is that the world could be on the verge of implosion, but people will always read an animal story first.

In my last two weeks, I’ll have another challenge on my hands. Jon O'Neill, one of my editors, has also set a goal for me to write one last feature for which we can produce a video. We've done two videos so far: one on competitive roller skaters and one on a power wheelchair soccer team. (On a side note, the power soccer story ran as my first Sunday metro last weekend, so it went out to about 430,000 readers. So exciting!) Both have been great because, before now, I haven't gotten to see much multimedia journalism in the works. I've gotten to watch Jon edit the footage and he's let me do the narrations. He's also taught me how to ask more video-oriented questions if the story demands that type of coverage.

Unfortunately, I have no ideas for my final video at this point, so I’m going to have to think quickly.

One thing, though, is for sure. In my last few days, I want to get all the clips I can, because as soon as I get back, I'm going to have to start sending out my resume.



Whitney Babbitt, July 24
It is tax time in Indiana, let me tell you. I know because it’s all we’ve been talking about in the news room for three weeks. It is causing scandal amongst our viewers that we just can’t ignore and would want to.

Indiana properties haven’t been assessed in five years so when they were this spring, it caused the property taxes to jump. Problem is the residential lots are not looked at individually, but rather by neighborhoods. So a house a few blocks from a golf course will be valued at about the same price as one on the golf course: big difference.

Bigger problem is that the government is taxing residents on estimated values for their house that they couldn’t realistically sell it for. The overall effect is that some people’s assessed house prices have gone up tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dollars often leaving them with tax increases of 30 to 100 percent.

I suppose it sounds boring, and no, it’s not a high speed police chase, but it’s the kind of news that people need the media for. At the beginning, people at WTHR couldn’t stop talking about it, so they figured it was the same with the viewers. Sure enough, citizens are protesting in the streets in Indy, but not enough government officials would hear them without TV stations and newspapers. There have been at least two top stories a day every day concerning increases in property tax and a proposed income tax increase.

The governor can’t get away from the heat of the press on this issue. He had a press conference to unveil a 16-foot wood carved conference table crafted by prison inmates and it didn’t take long for the questions to turn to taxes. It’s like a modern day revolution and if it would have continued, I’m pretty sure there’d be a Marion County Massacre.

But finally someone caved and Gov. Daniels called for a complete reassessment of the county, and he suggested that the rest of the state would soon follow. Now it’s a whole new can of worms: How will the assessor’s office handle it and when will the new bills come out?

The point is that when the people are armed with the arrows of media, it is much more likely that the government will extend an olive branch. It’s not always a shoot packed with blood and gunpowder, but the end result is just as exciting and even more resonant. Change is the power of the press and the tool of the people. Now that’s exciting stuff.


Whitney Babbitt, July 17
My time at WTHR is winding down, and the number of interns coming in everyday is already decreasing. There are things we learn that are concrete, this is how to stack a show, this is how to frame a shot, this is how to satellite a feed. Others are less tangible and harder to report. I've gotten to that time in my newsroom experience when people ask what I learned today and I don't know what to tell them.

Our world changes, the times change, the news changes. There are some formulas and guidelines that govern how headlines should be presented, but something almost always comes along that doesn't fit neatly into the rules.
Breaking news won't ever cut into a clean bite or pan to a perfect shot. It doesn't make sure it happens before the afternoon meeting or call the producer to give a heads up. Criminals leaving court don't announce they're exiting out the back door and reporters can't complain on air that their earpieces are directing feedback into their brains. The best that anyone can do in this business is be prepared for the unexpected, if possible.

My point is that there's a lot of valuable knowledge to be gained from an internship. More useful than knowing how to punch the buttons is learning how to cope with sudden change. Following producers, assignment editors and reporters has given me a better feel for how to adjust on my feet and adapt over time. These are the skills that make a broadcast journalist more marketable and eventually more successful.

This is what they're talking about when they say that internships provide valuable experience. There's nothing that makes one more prepared to do it than doing it, and that's the most valuable thing I've learned so far.

I can hope that maybe one day when my interviewee goes on a random tangent or a video I was expecting fails to air, that I will have a better ability to adjust and make changes. After all, it's not the accustomed that defines us but the adverse.


Carrie Ritchie, July 11
Oddly enough, my internship steered me back to Indiana last week.

My editor got a call from a detective named Tom McKay in Dearborn County. McKay had recently discovered that a man named Johnny Huston who passed away in Pasco County had been missing from Switzerland County for 28 years. My editor passed it along to me, since he thought I'd know the area. (For once, being from Indiana paid off.)

I talked to McKay, the Huston's Indiana family and his Florida friends. I discovered he never returned home after working in a cattle yard in Louisville in the spring of 1979. He told all of his Florida friends that he had no family and hailed from Wyoming. They were shocked to hear that he'd been missing from Indiana for 28 years and that his family was looking for him.

Huston told tales of riding in a rodeo and traveling the country, though his family said a hip problem wouldn't have allowed it. One thing was certain - the man loved anything cowboy. He traded horses, cattle and anything else he deemed worthy. He was supposedly arrested, but authorities never noticed that he was a missing person, a glitch that baffled McKay.

I tried to piece together his life using the fragments that I had, but his story still has some gaps. I was able to uncover some details to supplement McKay's information, though I couldn't find too many new facts. Still, it was exciting to get to help with an investigation.

I don't know if anyone will ever understand why this man did what he did, but it's certainly a story I'll continue to follow with interest. I hope, for his family's sake, that someone finds some answers, and I hope the Times follows the story after I leave.

Intrigue and mystery aside, this story underscores what I like about reporting: you never know where it might take you. It can lead you back home, even when you're 1,000 miles away.


Carrie Ritchie, July 9
A lot more goes on in a newsroom than putting words to paper. The whole process is perhaps the most effective bonding experience of which I've ever been a part. I knew the IDS is like a family, but I wasn't sure what to expect from a bigger newsroom.

The St. Pete Times has offices mainly in four Florida counties that span hundreds of miles, but everyone knows when someone is having a party. And someone has a party every weekend.

The staff members like to bond in the newsroom and out. I've asked staffers why they like spending so much time outside work together and the answer they usually give is that they were forced to spend time together because of the odd work hours, and then they got to know and like each other.

As the interns, we get invited to several parties and we're always welcomed. Staffers want to know where we're from, what we do and how we like the Times. There's never a dull moment, and you never leave without making about 10 new friends.

At first, I didn't think I'd like going out with all my coworkers, but they're a fun group. They really are like a family. They like to laugh and tell embarrassing stories about each other. They like to give advice and share their successes and failures. Sure, there are a few quirks and the occasional debate, but what family is complete without that?

And they're truly supportive of each other, something I think they learned from putting out the daily.

So, I've learned that putting out a paper can help sharpen social skills, too, which will be important when I settle in at a job next year. The atmosphere here has been conducive to learning and socializing, and I've come to realize the significance of both.




Whitney Babbitt, July 2
Last week was the midpoint for most of the interns at WTHR. Since we aren't paid by the company, it was about time that we were afforded a free lunch. Wednesday, the general manager of the station and the news director took a couple hours out of their day to sit down and talk to us about the intern program and answer any questions that we might have. Everybody had plenty to say.

GM Rich Pegram and director Jim Tellus were receptive to what we liked about the intern program and what we thought could change to be more effective. What I saw as most valuable about our lunch, however, was the advice we got. I've gotten so much from many different kinds of people since I've been here. I'd advise anyone wishing to get into TV news take a moment to read some of my reproduced nuggets of wisdom.

1. It is extremely unlikely that you will work in a market higher than 80 for your first job. Your hours and pay will suck but it is at this level that you really find out if this is what you want to do. Reassuringly, many change direction completely at this time. That's OK, too.

2.Even though you could be looking at a job in a place like Eugene, Ore., it's not going to be easy to get your foot in the door. Call the stations where you want to work, write down the names of people you talk to. See if you can meet with the news director shortly, or talk to him or her on the phone rather than just mailing your tape. You may get rejected more than you'd like, but remember, it only takes one "yes" to get you started. Don't get discouraged!

3.Find what makes you different or special and get that on your resume and/or tape. Do you speak a foreign language? Were you a leader in high school or college? What is it that sets you apart? Also, realize that directors get hundreds of applications when a reporter position opens. Put your best clips in the first two minutes of your tape. It's likely they might not get past that point. Make sure you pop off the screen.

4.When you're talking with directors, two things might help you make the final cut. Talk about your news philosophies. Does the station center on community affairs, investigative journalism or pop culture pieces? If you and your employer have similar views, you will probably like the job better in the long run. Also, give them a reason to think you'll stay for a while. Many smaller markets experience high turnover because reporters are looking for better jobs. Do you have family in town or a great place you'd like to sign on? These things could win you the job over someone just as skilled as you.

5.Know as much as you can about everything. You may have no interest in being a photographer, but if you are familiar with how photographers do their jobs, you can work better with them. The same goes with producers. Knowing how to help those you work with will get your more respect and possible better opportunities.

6.Love working in TV. It is a tiring field, but very rewarding. You're not going to make much money in your first few years and it's important to know that going in. If what you do doesn't make you feel good at the end of the day, it probably never will. Be willing to make yourself an agent for change.



Carrie Ritchie, June 27
Though a lot of my job so far has involved reporting crime and bad news, my favorite stories have been the ones that help people. I love getting out in the community and learning about the positive things. Not only are the stories fun to write, they inspire the readers, and I like having that connection with the audience.

I've been surprised at how much of this reporting the Times has allowed me to do. The editors have a strong commitment to showcasing the good along with the bad and this makes my job a lot more fulfilling.

For example, a couple weeks ago I was interviewing people for a story on wish granters for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pasco County is desperate for more wish granters, and after my story ran, several people e-mailed me because they wanted to help.

That story also led me to a 12-year-old boy named Ben. He is a Wish kid with a lot of talent and determination. He's part of a power wheel chair soccer team that just placed third at nationals. Now, I get to spend an evening with him and his team, learning about their kind of soccer, so I can write another story.

Last Saturday, I covered a baby shower for a local woman who's about to give birth to sextuplets. I was overwhelmed by the support she got from her family and friends. The couple already has one child and they're going to need help caring for the additional children. I've received several calls and e-mails from people who want to donate supplies or share advice.

I like being a part of the community in this way and I like it when people say a story made a difference.

And I've learned this will be a crucial element when I start my job search. I want to find a paper that understands the media isn't just for hunting criminals and winning Pulitzers; it's a forum for helping the community.


Whitney Babbitt, June 25
My week starts on Tuesday and goes through Friday to complement the schedules of interns who work Monday through Thursday, an increasingly popular choice with college students. When I come in, I never know what I'm going to go out on until the reporters are assigned at the 9 a.m. meeting.

Last Tuesday, I entered the building, signed in and grabbed a paper to scan before the staff collected to talk about that day's stories. I had just started reading a story about humans emulating robots when, knowing that I was the only IU intern, a colleague told me to grab as much Hoeppner file footage as I could and jump in a live truck headed for Bloomington.

As I was gathering videos, I was confused as to what the story was about. I knew that the previous week, IU had announced that football coach Terry Hoeppner, who had been fighting a brain tumor for 18 months, would miss the 2007 season. I was hoping we were going to catch some kind of official update announcement.

There was a buzz in the newsroom that centered around the words "not confirmed" and people all around the newsroom were on the phones. It wasn't until the studio lights bleached the room, and an anchor positioned himself in front the flash cam, that my suspicions were verified: "We interrupt The Today Show to bring you breaking news. This morning just before 7 a.m., Indiana University football coach Terry Hoeppner died at Bloomington Hospital."

Though I knew that going live at 6 a.m. would make for almost an eleven-hour day for this unpaid "employee," it felt right for me to be in Bloomington among my peers. The day was one of those that just felt appropriate. It was pouring rain, and IU officials were gathering to break ground on a project that Coach Hep championed throughout his sickness. It was an epilogue kind of day.

I learned a lot about making news. The reporter I was with cranked out three different packages for three shows, going live every time. A satellite truck operates as a mini newsroom. It was enlightening, but only secondary to seeing Hoeppner's wife and kids at the groundbreaking, their emotions raw.

The loss of a figure like Coach Hoeppner reinforces a sense of community, and though I had never met Hep or his wife, I had the overwhelming urge to console his family. It is apparent to me, through their insistence on continuing with the ground breaking and offering a celebration of life service in Assembly Hall, that the Hoeppner family realizes that their loss is one for all of us.





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