Annie Cutler: Interns, interns, and more interns

Every semester our newsroom sees a new set of interns. Sometimes the pickings are slim and we get only one or two, but this semester is a different story. We have a TON of young, eager, fresh-faced students begging to pull file tape, post our web stories, and shadow reporters for a glimpse of a day “in the field.”

I’ve spent time with dozens and dozens of these interns. Most of the time they’re crammed in the back seat of our news cars or riding backwards (if the seat doesn’t swivel forward) in our live trucks. Trust me, it’s not glamorous. But then again, it’s not supposed to be.

I’ve noticed that many of the interns I’ve spent the day with talk to me about their personal lives and ask me about my personal life. I don’t mind listening or answering a few select questions. Maybe it’s because they’re comfortable with me? Feel I’m assessable and easy to talk to? Not sure.

Just last week, however, I was out with one of our news interns who didn’t ask me anything that wasn’t relevant to my job, career path, and what she needed to do to get hers underway. I couldn’t help but smile because she reminded me of myself during my internships. If there was any way possible, I would have jumped into the reporter’s brain so I could know his / her every thought, then I would have compared them to mine to see if I was even in the same ballpark.

Do you have a certain strategy for how you ask your questions? I saw you taking notes during the interview, what did you write down? We’re still in the field, are you already thinking of how the story will be written?

These were just a few of her questions, but it showed me that she was taking her internship seriously, that she wanted to walk out of the newsroom at the end of however many weeks and know she got something good out of it.

To all the interns, I say to you – no question is a stupid one. If you ask the right questions there’s a good chance you’ll get more out of this newsroom than any classroom.