Apr 9, 2008 12:18 pm US/Pacific
General News Internship
Doing a general news internship is the best way for a student to learn what makes a newsroom work successfully. He or she will get the opportunity to see how the different departments work together. Interns who do a general news internship will get to spend a day with the coordinator of the special projects and see how the station organizes its community projects. Also, they will learn how to run the teleprompter and learn the role of the floor manager. They will also see how producers stack their shows and decide what stories they choose. They will also learn how to write for broadcast and about the different formats of stories and the importance of matching words with pictures. General news interns will get the opportunity to sit in the booth and see how a show is directed and the role of the producer during a live broadcast. They will also learn to write from the AP wire and news releases as well as use the newsroom's iNews program. They will learn how master controls and transmission works. They will go out in the field with reporters and learn how to interview and interact with sources. Being in the field and the newsroom, they will learn about the fast pace of television news and how crews handle breaking news. Learning to write for broadcast, they will learn the importance of being accurate and doing thorough research. They will learn the importance of varied elements when putting together a news package. They will see how stories develop at morning and afternoon meetings.
An ideal candidate for general news is someone who is interested in television news, but not quite sure where he or she best fits in the newsroom. 13's special projects unit is extremely active and responsible for producing CBS13's Call Kurtis, Buy It and Try It, Save With Dave and other special reports. A special projects intern will see not only the unique, creative side of news but also the investigative side. He or she will learn the importance of thinking "outside the box." A special projects intern will assist with research, fact checking as well as story enterprising. He or she will learn how to investigate court cases as well as about consumer law and consumer rights. The intern will have the opportunity to see how a story develops from start to finish. He or she will also assist with logging calls from the consumer line as well as be able to go out in the field and learn the importance of asking the right questions. The special projects intern may have the opportunity to occasionally field produce by the end of his or her internship at CBS13. An ideal candidate for this position will enjoy doing research, being inquisitive, and interacting with a large variety of sources.
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