EJ Academy... Continued from p. 17 ● New knowledge: The ambitious journalist can use an EJ in-


ternship to acquire new skills, burnish old ones and deepen his or her knowledge of the beat. ● Decent compensation: “One very positive development in


recent years is that more of the legitimate internships are offering money,” Fagin says. “Something like two-thirds to three-quarters of internships my students take pay.” The change, he thinks, is due to competition for top students and regulatory pressure.


Step 3: Making the most of it Although getting an internship is hard enough, the real work


begins after accepting an internship. “Don’t show up on your first day without a handful of story ideas,” Blankenbuehler says. “A sharp thinker that can pitch stories frequently is a really valuable member of a team.” Establishing effective communication with supervisors is key,


Fagin says. “You do not want to be in a position of them expecting something from you that you’re not prepared to deliver,” Fagin says. “Remember that your supervisor is really busy, and you’re not going to be their top priority.” Interns occasionally get buried in less glamorous duties, such


as fact checking and phone duties. Although “it is really important that you do the core work,” Fagin says, it’s also important to re- member that “your agenda is not identical to your supervisor’s agenda.” It’s up to the intern to take initiative, pitch stories, ask to attend meetings and grab coffee with coworkers. After all, super- visors “want to see what initiative you show,” Fagin says. Blankenbuehler made the most of her internship by embracing


HCN’s demanding editing process. “A magazine-ready story is a hard-won accomplishment, and during my internship, I realized how critical it is for young journalists to go through a rigorous ed- iting process,” she explains. “With each story there are growing pains, but the lessons are invaluable, and every time I put a story in print or on the web, I walked away from it a stronger writer, a more critical thinker, a more astute reporter and with no doubt, a thicker skin than I had before.” Ariana Marini, now an associate editor at A Plus magazine,


held internships at NOVA and Mechanical Engineering magazine while studying at Emerson College. Following her advice would challenge even the most resolute intern: “If you have downtime, don’t use it to check Facebook. Instead, think of things you could be doing that your supervisor hasn’t thought of yet.” In my own experience interning in Washington, D.C., I learned to be open to unexpected opportunities. I worked for Resolve, an environmental NGO that partnered


with Mongabay to launch WildTech, a news site covering emerging technology in conservation. Although it wasn’t purely a journalism job, working at Resolve taught me about the intricacies of running a nonprofit and the challenges of bringing new technologies to mar- ket — and it gave me fodder for future stories.


Step 4: Don’t let them forget you After an internship, shrewd journalists maintain purposeful


contact with their former bosses and coworkers. “You don’t want to keep in touch in a mindless way,” Fagin says. Rather, pass along information that would be useful for stories you know they’re work- ing on, or pitch a select few worthwhile story ideas. And let them know about professional changes such as new


jobs and graduations. “Don’t lose interest in someone when you get a job somewhere else,” Fagin says. The new position “will make them more interested in you, not less.” Above all, keep the faith. Environmental journalism intern-


ships may be challenging, but they can make a young journalist far more competitive, Fagin believes. “Given the reality of the journalism marketplace today, what


editors are looking for are journalists with specialized knowledge,” he says. “Storytelling, reporting, multimedia — that kind of skills work is really important. But to distinguish yourself from the pack: know something.”


A 2015 grad of MU’s journalism master’s program, Caleb


O’Brien has had a few internships, including one at WildTech, a vertical of Mongabay. He’ll spend 2016 reporting from Paraguay. Jajotopata upépe. (That means “See you there!” in Guarani.)


$500 First Prize in 7 Categories Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Large Market


Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Small Market Outstanding Beat Reporting, Large Market Outstanding Beat Reporting, Small Market Outstanding Feature Story Writing Outstanding Explanatory Writing Rachel Carson Environment Book Award


j.mp/SEJEnter 26 SEJournal Spring 2016


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