This summer I had the opportunity to be an intern reporter for a newspaper in Texas. A lot happened in those eight weeks I was in Texas and, let’s just say, I have a lot of new experiences under my belt.
The Good
Getting out of your home state gets you to broaden your horizons. This summer I made a lot of connections in the South from fellow reporters, photographers, law enforcement and even those who worked with the courts. I was always scared to get out there and report when I was home, but when I was in Texas it pushed me to get out of the shell that I keep myself in.
My co-workers truly made the job more enjoyable. I saw my supervisor as an older version of myself and that made me feel more comfortable with being there. She understood what was going on in my brain before I got the chance to say it. She always knew what to say to make me feel better and more confident in my writing. That was the one thing I was constantly told, “Be more confident in your writing.” I knew more than I thought I did, but it is something I am working on.
I got to cover a travel Russian T.V. show, The Life Of Others, that was filming in the area for their Houston episode that is coming out this fall. This was during my first week at the internship and it did not go as planned. The show was filmed at a local police station because of the training that the station provided. The problem is that the crew for the show showed up late which caused the plans to change. Instead of the training, they filmed the host, Zhanna Badoeva, shooting a pepper ball gun and getting fake arrested for a bit. There were some other interviews they conducted but those were the main ones.
However, I did get the opportunity to interview Badoeva, through a translator. The main problem with the crew being late is that I only had an hour to write the story that was on the cover of the front page the following day. The bright side to them being late is that I made some connections with the officers at the stations while we waited for the crew to get there. This opportunity taught me that sometimes you just have to go with the flow and make the best out of nothing.
The most stressful but accomplished day was when I was the only reporter in the newsroom for most of the day. This is the day that there was flooding because that is just how the weather in Texas is and there was also a wanted man found. These were two last-minute stories that needed to be written to be published for the next day’s paper. I was already working on two other stories on top of these new two. I somehow finished all four of these stories and they ended up all on the front page creating a “perfect front page.” My higher-up boss said in his 20 years there, no intern had ever had the whole front page. I am still so proud of myself for accomplishing all those stories in that time frame.
That was exciting but covering a murder trial was my favorite part of my time in Texas. I know to normal people that may not be exciting but as someone who is going for a criminology and justice minor and loves true crime, I was ecstatic to hear about it. Without going into too much detail, I got to sit in and daily report on a trial where the ex-boyfriend/father of the child killed his ex-girlfriend/mother of the child after she filed for modification of the temporary orders regarding their child. In smaller terms, she wanted child support and possible full custody.
This case was very gruesome and some things will never leave my mind, but it truly was a great experience to have. But, note to self, do not eat a heavy lunch if you have to see autopsy pictures right after. The defendant got convicted and was sentenced to life which happened on my last day of work. Writing about the trial daily showed me a different type of journalism I was not taught; make something a narrative that is actively happening and keep those informed with the important details going on. Not to brag, but people who knew the victim were coming up to me thanking me for what I was writing and for keeping them informed. This reminded me of why I want to go into journalism. I want to inform people and make an impact doing it. It truly was amazing but if anyone saw my 74 pages of notes about it, I think they would be a little concerned.
The Bad
I was very overworked. This is one of the reasons why I am not naming the actual company I worked for because I do not want any bad blood and I am grateful for my experience there. But on two different occasions, I worked 12 days in a row and 13 days in a row. The reason I worked days in a row is that I either had to report for a story, finish writing a story or breaking news happened and I was the only one available. Yes, maybe during the 12 or 13 days I had a half-day or a day just doing interviews, but that is not a day off. I was constantly doing something regarding work. In the one instance I worked 116 hours in two weeks, it did not help that the trial I covered was averaging me 12 hours a day because of travel, sitting in on testimony for eight hours, writing and editing.
My mental health was the worst it had been in a while. I was away from home, doing a summer class and working far more than full time every week. I was always drained and even if I did have time off, I was catching up on my homework I had due or catching up on sleep. I just felt constantly drained no matter what, it did not matter how many hours I worked a week.
I felt during this time that I could not say no. If I was asked to cover something, I always did. For instance, the first day of the 13 in a row was because a fire happened and no one else was available to cover it, even though it was my day off. I think this was because I was an intern. I was scared of speaking up and making people upset with me. I do not want to say I was taken advantage of, but I did feel like they knew I would not say no to what they asked.
The Ugly
Along with my bad mental health, I found myself ugly crying in my car a lot. I did not want to have a breakdown at assignments or in the newsroom, so at least once a week I would find myself crying in the parking lot. I would turn on my saddest playlist and just let it all out. It was not pretty, but I always felt better after.
The sad reality I have learned as a woman, in general, is men will always take niceness as flirting.
DO NOT HIT ON SOMEONE WHEN THEY ARE WORKING.
I was on an assignment and a man that was double my age gave me his card so I could text him and we could be “pen pals.” I promise you I did not text him or have looked at the card since. I have to be nice because I am professional so I took it, but I did not make any advances at this man. I made conversation as any normal person would, but that was it. Nothing that happened gave the impression, in my point of view at least, that there was anything more than professional conversation going on. So men, please stop being creepy to women, especially young ones who are working.
The hate. When covering the murder trial, I received my first experience of hate. I had the defendant’s family commenting on my articles on Facebook saying I was reporting lies and it should not be even considered journalism. It got so bad with what the family members were saying that it was brought to the judge’s attention because the victim’s family was concerned.
What was even worse than the comments were when his whole family would give me dirty looks when I walked into the courtroom. It also felt that his family was everywhere I went. The one day I walked up the stairs and his whole family was at the bench at the top of it staring me down. I felt like I had a target on my back. The hate was bad and it is even worse when an alleged murderer, at the time, is staring you down every time you walk in the courtroom. People pointed out to me how well I took the comments and the side eyes, I guess they did not see me crying in my car.
Overall
This experience helped get my name out there. Was it always enjoyable? No. But did I learn a lot? Yes. This experience opened my eyes to the world of journalism and what I want and do not want in a future employer. With that being said, thank you to The Lone Star State for the memories, but I more than likely will not be returning.
