Q. So, I graduated from college in May and, according to Google, I've visited your kick-butt column 41 times since June. I'm just saying.
Anyway, I lucked into a great gig at a national news Web site -- a summer internship that's been
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extended three times. Now I'm here until June. Before this thing hits its expiration date, the higher-ups have offered to fund a workshop, or fellowship, or seminar -- basically, something to improve my reporting skills.
I am so excited about this. Although I'm super happy where I am, I know I've missed out on the awesome learning experiences I'd get by slugging it out as a reporter at a smallish daily. There's no way a workshop will be able to cram all those lessons into a week, or a weekend, but I'm hoping it will help.
Unfortunately, I have no idea where to look for these things. Do you have any recommendations on some of the better workshops/fellowships/seminars? Again, I'm really looking for something that resembles a reporting boot camp. (And I'm especially interested in health journalism.) I'd love to get your input. Thanks.
Student of ReportingA. Thanks for visiting!
I'm glad you appreciate what you have and what you missed by having not been a reporter. I'm glad you also appreciate that you cannot learn to be a reporter by simply going to a workshop.
Since the company is offering to pay for this, I would pick something that you couldn't afford yourself. Poynter offers numerous
seminars. But it might not be a seminar or a workshop. As reporting is best learned on the job, what if you did just that -- went on the job with an excellent reporter? If your Web site has an affiliated company with reporters, I would ask that they let you shadow one of the best reporters there for as many weeks as they will allow.
If your company does not have an affiliate, see whether one of your supervisors knows someone in a position to help.
Then, on your own and after you see what reporters do, try to deepen your knowledge by reading and by attending workshops you can afford yourself. Check out the
writing/editing section of
Poynter.org. The best buys for an individual are the
News University courses and the
National Writers Workshops. Also, watch to see what journalism organizations are holding conventions in your area, and see what workshops might be offered. I recommend the
Investigative Reporters and Editors' regional workshops.
If knowledge of reporting is important to you, this will be a lifelong study, and it will require you to actually do some reporting, perhaps as a freelancer.
Grimm on internships:
"Breaking In: The JobsPage.com Guide to Newspaper Internships."
Coming Wednesday: This reporter would like to make a move from general assignment reporting to a topical beat or the Web. But neither seems quite right.
