My LINK internship will be at the Telegraph newspaper in downtown Durango. The Telegraph is the largest newspaper in Durango after the Herald and releases a new issue every Thursday. The Telegraph is the Herald’s more liberal alternative, which is good for me since I do lean center left in most things. The work that is done there involves everything from creating ad space in the back of the paper, to writing the stories themselves. My mentor is the owner of the paper, Missy Votel. She is in charge of the entire Telegraph operation and often writes a column at the beginning of each issue of theTelegraph. How I got involved in the Telegraph was my own curiosity on how a newspaper ran, especially out of such a small room, (the Telegraph operates out of a 10 x 20 room on the second floor of the Smiley Building). After wondering for a while I told Rachel of my interests and she set up an interview. After the interview I received my internship a week later.
For my main project I want to write a main story for the Telegraph, preferably on something going on in the world that is having an impact on the town as well as the nation. Since the main issues in March are likely to be either gun control or the economy, I shall do a main story on whichever on of those is more pressing. If it is gun control I am going to have to take a more conservative stance and write a story condemning gun bans but still calling for more restrictions on who can own guns.
If it is the economy, then it will likely be a multi-faceted issue and will be difficult to talk about although I will do my best to try to summarize the issue succinctly and in a non-biased way.
However, besides main stories, I shall also be working on creating ad space and of course delivering papers. According to Missy, both are time consuming and require quite a bit of hard work.
This experience will be useful in teaching me work ethic and helping me to flesh out my resume and possibly even land future journalistic jobs.
The Workplace.
MY RESUME
The Workplace. MY RESUME
GRAYSON E. MOONEY
Objective: Attain an internship at The Telegraph, in order to further develop writing skills and help strengthen the work ethic required for a professional job environment.
Summary: Completed two full years of Animas High School.
Completed an internship at President Obama’s reelection campaign, summer/fall of 2012.
Education: Animas High School 2010-Present - to be completed Spring 2014.
Courses Taken: Humanities, Spanish, Chemistry and Algebra 2.
Related Skills:
- Strong in word processing and writing
- Proficient in presentations and interviews
- Strong in creativity
Internship Experience: Worked an internship at President Obama’s reelection campaign at the La Plata County Democratic Office, summer/fall of 2012.
- Registered voters
- Entered data onto the campaign website
- Manned a phone bank
Work History:
Summer 2011/Summer 2012- Worked on developing a property for family friends and assisted with the renovation of a large farm style property.
- Cleared brush
- Cleaned trout runs
- Built stone terraces
LINK Daily Updates
LINK Internship March 4, 2013
I started out at 10:00 this morning and was put to work cataloging the 2012 issues in chronological order. It may sound boring but after having done database work for the Obama campaign just about anything tedious seems like a walk in the park. After that I got to talk to Missy Votel (my boss) about opportunities for a main story for me to write that would run in the March 14th issue of the Telegraph. I decided to write my story about the 2nd Amendment activists who are doing their best to recall Representative McLachlan over his alleged violations of the 2nd Amendment. After doing some research I discovered that the Durango Gun Club is one of the organizations trying to recall McLachlan and it helps that they are about two blocks away from my house, so I am going to go in there, find the owners and hopefully get their two cents on the whole issue. Wish me luck!
LINK Internship March 5, 2013
Today I helped proof read pages of the next issue of the Telegraph and prepared some questions for my interview with the Gun Club/9-12/Tea Party officials who are attempting to recall Representative McLachlan. Besides that not much happened today.
LINK Internship March 6, 2013
Today I helped fix typos and finish proofreading the paper in preparation for its publication date tomorrow.
LINK Internship March 7, 2013
Today I helped Missy deliver papers along her route (which extends from East 2nd Avenue up to the college). After that the day essentially ended and I was free to go home. Instead of my normal 10-3 hours today was just 9-10:30. Tomorrow will be busier because then I am setting up interviews for my story and writing my first rough draft.
LINK Internship March 8, 2013
Today wasn’t a very busy day either because Missy was out of town along with several other people who work with the Telegraph. I emailed the Durango Gun Club today and am now in contact with the owner and am going to get an interview with him most likely this evening or tomorrow morning. More updates coming tomorrow!
LINK Internship March 11, 2013
Today I answered the Diver questions in a witty manner and began work on the crossword puzzle, which is St. Patrick's Day themed.
LINK Internship March 12, 2013
Today was spent writing breakout boxes (which are summarizations of events that are going to happen in town or in the surrounding area, such as plays, competitions or other things like that). I wrote a breakout box for the results of a ski competition in which a few local skiers won the state championship. I also restocked a few local newspaper racks and boxes in order to get a feel for the Main Street paper route since the usual people who usually deliver the papers (DHS students) are not available due to standardized testing going on this week.
LINK Internship March 13, 2013
Today was spent proof reading the pages of the paper and making sure that everything was typo free and excellent. A few suspect paragraphs and typos were discovered but mostly the paper is in good condition and will be out tomorrow at the usual time, when I will have the chance to deliver it along Main Street.
LINK Internship March 14, 2013
Today was spent delivering papers all along Main Street and 2nd Avenue. It was a short day and ended at 11:30 so there is really nothing more to report on.
LINK Internship March 15, 2013
Today I was given a new story assignment. Senator Mark Udall recently wrote an op-ed about reforming water resources in Colorado and I get to have to honor of tracking his PR people down and getting them to answer some questions about his story for me.
LINK Internship March 18, 2013
Today I answered the Diver questions in a witty manner and began work on the crossword puzzle, which is St. Patrick's Day themed.
LINK Internship March 12, 2013
Today was spent writing breakout boxes (which are summarizations of events that are going to happen in town or in the surrounding area, such as plays, competitions or other things like that). I wrote a breakout box for the results of a ski competition in which a few local skiers won the state championship. I also restocked a few local newspaper racks and boxes in order to get a feel for the Main Street paper route since the usual people who usually deliver the papers (DHS students) are not available due to standardized testing going on this week.
LINK Internship March 13, 2013
Today was spent proof reading the pages of the paper and making sure that everything was typo free and excellent. A few suspect paragraphs and typos were discovered but mostly the paper is in good condition and will be out tomorrow at the usual time, when I will have the chance to deliver it along Main Street.
LINK Internship March 14, 2013
Today was spent delivering papers all along Main Street and 2nd Avenue. It was a short day and ended at 11:30 so there is really nothing more to report on.
LINK Internship March 15, 2013
Today I was given a new story assignment. Senator Mark Udall recently wrote an op-ed about reforming water resources in Colorado and I get to have to honor of tracking his PR people down and getting them to answer some questions about his story for me.
LINK Internship March 18, 2013
Today I (after an entire weekend of trying) managed to get Senator Udall's chief PR person's email address, so I sent he questions there and am hoping for a response by tonight so that I can write the story up quickly and have it in for revisions by Wednesday.
LINK Internship March 19, 2013
Today I waited fruitlessly for an answer from the Udall PR team but received no reply. I did get a reelection letter from Udall so I know his people are active, however my request seems to have gotten lost and I fear that my story is about to become kaput.
LINK Internship March 19, 2013
Today I waited fruitlessly for an answer from the Udall PR team but received no reply. I did get a reelection letter from Udall so I know his people are active, however my request seems to have gotten lost and I fear that my story is about to become kaput.
LINK Internship March 20, 2013
Today was spent proofing the final draft pages of the Telegraph and finding typos and errors. I also called the Udall people once more but did not get an answer, so my story is dead unfortunately. I also got started on my final project today, which will be unveiled at the final exhibition on Friday.
LINK Internship March 21, 2013
Today was the final day of my internship, man time flew by...It was a lot of fun but unfortunately it must end. Today I helped deliver papers and finished my exhibition project. Everything is completed and I am ready for tomorrow's exhibition.
MENTOR INTERVIEW
Did you do the job you went to college for?
Yes, I was actually have a BS (no joke) in journalism from CU - majored in advertising. Back in the dark ages, when you had to actually draw your story boards ...but I digress
What is a unique part of your job?
That we're the only free, weekly newspaper in Durango (10 years and counting!)
If you could go back to college again would you choose a different career path?
Hmmm - quantum physics has always interested me. Or being a rock star.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I get to be creative, meet lots of different and interesting people and don't have to worry about being a few minute late.
What have you learned the most from in your career experience?
Not what but who. I had an old editor at the Herald who was a stickler for AP style, grammar, spelling, etc. He put the fear of god in all of us on a regular basis, but it was an immeasurable learning experience. Thanks, Dave, wherever you may be.
What do you think is more valuable in your career, organization or creativity?
I guess creativity, because I am not very organized yet still have managed to make it this far. It's good to surround yourself with organized people.
What do you think is going to change in your industry in the near future, and what are you doing, if anything, to prepare?
I hear this internet thing is really starting to catch on ...
What do you pride yourself on doing the most?
I'm not sure what this means but I've gotten pretty good at texting and driving. Only kidding!
What piece of technology would you say has made your job easier?
Caller id, high-speed internet ... and those one-hit coffee makers
What is the most valuable aspect you could hope for in an employee?
National spelling bee champ and Pulitzer winner.
