Thursday, August 1, 2013
Bittersweet Goodbye
Well today is the last day I can call myself a PAO intern. Honestly, it's a little sad. This summer has gone by way too fast. My first lunch with all the mentors and interns at the River's Edge feels like it was yesterday....rather than 2 months ago. I really enjoyed this internship. I got to get the feel of what a Public Affairs Officer actually does every day. I realized in Public Affairs you don't have a lot of time to write stories for the newspapers, but rather approve of other people's stories in your programs. I also realized that in the military you have to go through a lot of different people just to merely say "no comment" on a media query. I realized that not only do I like the career I am pursuing but I am also not half bad at it. I got to take pictures and do infographics this summer which I had never had experience in, and both of those things came naturally to me. Thank goodness. My mentor (Marcia) was also a big factor in my happiness during this summer. She was so helpful and so smart about this field of work! She wasn't afraid to push me and say "oh btw Courtney you're doing the double truck for this week's Tester.” She had faith in me and I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun if she wasn't my mentor. Well in about a week I will be heading back to good ole Morgantown. While yes, the mountains are calling my name, I am sad to say goodbye to all of my coworkers. It's going to be weird not seeing these faces I got to know so well this summer or saying hi to the security guy at my building every morning. I recommend this internship to anyone who is passionate about mass communications. It was truly an amazing summer here at Pax River.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Happy Thursday :)
Well it's been awhile since I've blogged on here! So it seems. I have so much to catch you guys up on :o) for starters the trip last week to the abc news station was so cool (for lack of better word just bare with me guys I'm all worded out). But we took a tour of the news station and even got to watch them record a live show. So cool. We watched them countdown to when we were on air and we even got to see them report the weather. Ahhh the simple things in life :) Going to the news station, although that's not the field of mass communications I'm going in to.. was so informational because it was great to be exposed to that side of mass communications. What's great about this internship is the endless exposure we've gotten here. We've been exposed to the video portion of mass communications, the photography portion, the writing portion, and now the broadcasting portion. Thanks to this internship and the exposure here it'll be so much easier to focus in on exactly what part of mass communications I want to major in.. which in my opinion is one of the most important reasons of doing an internship.
Anyway, things are a little more hectic now thanks to furlough so Thursdays go by literally in the blink of an eye because everyone is trying to finish as much as they can since they're off on Fridays. I have 2 stories that I am finalllly wrapping up after like forever, well the first story, I've been working on for forever and the second one was actually pretty quick. So today I'll go through and get the first story checked over one final time (you can never have your story checked too many times) then finito I'll be finished. :)
Well it's been awhile since I've blogged on here! So it seems. I have so much to catch you guys up on :o) for starters the trip last week to the abc news station was so cool (for lack of better word just bare with me guys I'm all worded out). But we took a tour of the news station and even got to watch them record a live show. So cool. We watched them countdown to when we were on air and we even got to see them report the weather. Ahhh the simple things in life :) Going to the news station, although that's not the field of mass communications I'm going in to.. was so informational because it was great to be exposed to that side of mass communications. What's great about this internship is the endless exposure we've gotten here. We've been exposed to the video portion of mass communications, the photography portion, the writing portion, and now the broadcasting portion. Thanks to this internship and the exposure here it'll be so much easier to focus in on exactly what part of mass communications I want to major in.. which in my opinion is one of the most important reasons of doing an internship.
Anyway, things are a little more hectic now thanks to furlough so Thursdays go by literally in the blink of an eye because everyone is trying to finish as much as they can since they're off on Fridays. I have 2 stories that I am finalllly wrapping up after like forever, well the first story, I've been working on for forever and the second one was actually pretty quick. So today I'll go through and get the first story checked over one final time (you can never have your story checked too many times) then finito I'll be finished. :)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Cooperate, People!
Today I checked my giant coffee-stained desk calendar and realized that I have essentially two more weeks left at my NAS Pax River Public Affairs Internship. Time flies in public affairs work!
This week has been as jam-packed as always. My biggest current project, a series of two articles about the NAWCAD energy strategy, is slowly wrapping up, which is exciting because the two articles are the products of quite a few weeks of collaboration and communication between multiple parties. These articles have been challenging not only because the energy strategy is slightly controversial (it asks people to limit their energy use, which often involves giving up some office comforts like personal refrigerators and energy-guzzling coffee systems), but also because I had to work with representatives of a few different areas to get the facts right and presented in a way that is as appealing as possible.
The way I see it, nobody really wants to read an article about how they're going to have to give up their cute office fridge or turn down the AC for the purpose of saving energy. And certainly nobody excitedly reads an article about a strategy (not even a definite plan, but a strategy) to reduce energy use. However, after speaking with my POCs (points of contact) for this article, I have a sense of how important this strategy is to the installation. I enjoyed the challenge of making my articles as forthright and interesting as possible, and particularly worked to express the message I received from many leaders in energy conservation on base: the installation must work with the individual base tenants (like NAWCAD and NAVAIR) to make NAS Pax River the most energy-efficient base possible. Hopefully this angle, illuminated with voices from a few different base divisions, will allow readers to understand the importance of reducing energy use on base, and that cooperation is a necessity.
As an intern, I don't usually know the personalities of people to whom I am referred for interviews or conversations about my work. Sometimes it's a little difficult to walk into a strange office to talk to an unknown person, or even to email or call somebody I don't know at all. I always hope the person will respond to my requests and work with me to get their side of the story into my writing, but sometimes it takes a little prodding. On the other hand, those people who are really willing to work with me often inspire me to care about their cause or work. This shows in my writing, which is energized when I really get into the subject I'm writing about. Whether difficult, fun or simple, an article (two in this case!) that allows different personalities and divisions to stand out and be heard gives me a tremendous sense of achievement.
This week has been as jam-packed as always. My biggest current project, a series of two articles about the NAWCAD energy strategy, is slowly wrapping up, which is exciting because the two articles are the products of quite a few weeks of collaboration and communication between multiple parties. These articles have been challenging not only because the energy strategy is slightly controversial (it asks people to limit their energy use, which often involves giving up some office comforts like personal refrigerators and energy-guzzling coffee systems), but also because I had to work with representatives of a few different areas to get the facts right and presented in a way that is as appealing as possible.
The way I see it, nobody really wants to read an article about how they're going to have to give up their cute office fridge or turn down the AC for the purpose of saving energy. And certainly nobody excitedly reads an article about a strategy (not even a definite plan, but a strategy) to reduce energy use. However, after speaking with my POCs (points of contact) for this article, I have a sense of how important this strategy is to the installation. I enjoyed the challenge of making my articles as forthright and interesting as possible, and particularly worked to express the message I received from many leaders in energy conservation on base: the installation must work with the individual base tenants (like NAWCAD and NAVAIR) to make NAS Pax River the most energy-efficient base possible. Hopefully this angle, illuminated with voices from a few different base divisions, will allow readers to understand the importance of reducing energy use on base, and that cooperation is a necessity.
As an intern, I don't usually know the personalities of people to whom I am referred for interviews or conversations about my work. Sometimes it's a little difficult to walk into a strange office to talk to an unknown person, or even to email or call somebody I don't know at all. I always hope the person will respond to my requests and work with me to get their side of the story into my writing, but sometimes it takes a little prodding. On the other hand, those people who are really willing to work with me often inspire me to care about their cause or work. This shows in my writing, which is energized when I really get into the subject I'm writing about. Whether difficult, fun or simple, an article (two in this case!) that allows different personalities and divisions to stand out and be heard gives me a tremendous sense of achievement.
On another note, I still find myself thinking about last week's trip to ABC studios in Arlington, VA. This was such a fun and motivating experience and I, like Courtney, also drew comparisons between the ABC newsroom and the HBO's "Newsroom." [I'm hooked on that show--it's bad.] The experience of being present for a live broadcast was really cool, but my favorite part of our trip was definitely observing the newsroom itself. The news industry is amazing to me: I love the fast-paced demanding mood in the room, with everyone hustling about. Right next door is Politico's newsroom and the contrast between the ABC room and the Politico room was hilariously obvious: the only sounds coming from the Politico newsroom were those of frantic typing and a few quiet phone conversations, whereas the ABC newsroom was a crush of ringing phones, shouts, and countless tv monitors flashing the latest news.
[The studio where we got to watch the live broadcast! My phone was clearly going for the "artistic blur" look.]
This made me think about which room I would prefer to be sitting in if I was to get involved in news media. Athough it would certainly be exciting (and crazy stressful) to work for a news outlet like ABC, I feel like my news niche would be more along the lines of Politico, which focuses less on speed of news production and presentation and more on content. Writing personal opinion pieces would also be fun! Reflections on my future aside, the trip to ABC was fantastic and should definitely become a staple of the Pax River PAO intern program.
Many thanks to Mikel, LaToya, Kelly and everybody else who made this trip possible!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Busy busy busy (but I love it)
So these past few weeks have been pretty hectic for me. Hence why I have not blogged in a while.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Fun in the sun :-)
So I've been a little busy and haven't really had the chance to blog anything because of the 4th of July but in a nutshell I'll tell you about last Wednesday's lesson.
We were instructed by Kelly, over in the VI building, who provided a camera for each intern. We practiced aperture and field of depth outside in the July heat... and although it was hot and of course Kelly and I both decided to wear all black; it was beyond informative. We took beautiful pictures of the trees and we practiced taking pictures while objects were moving focusing on the object in the forefront then later focusing on the objects in the backdrop. While standing on the corner taking pictures of the cars, who didn't drive very fast for fear the we were secret agents for the base police ;-), we actually captured some great pictures.
We were surprisingly stopped by one citizen asking us did we have permission to take pictures of the outside, but Kelly assured him that we did and that we were learning. That was a prime example of exactly how private everything is on the base.
So far, this was one of my favorite aspects of the internship program because it was cool learning how to really take a good quality picture. Although that's not the field any of us are going in, its great to have those skills because they are, believe it or not, really versatile. Everyone loves a good picture. Even more so, when you're writing an article and you need a picture to accompany it, this way you can take it yourself. So thanks to that lesson we actually got a pretty good one. (and yes I took this one while creeping on the other interns ;p)
We were instructed by Kelly, over in the VI building, who provided a camera for each intern. We practiced aperture and field of depth outside in the July heat... and although it was hot and of course Kelly and I both decided to wear all black; it was beyond informative. We took beautiful pictures of the trees and we practiced taking pictures while objects were moving focusing on the object in the forefront then later focusing on the objects in the backdrop. While standing on the corner taking pictures of the cars, who didn't drive very fast for fear the we were secret agents for the base police ;-), we actually captured some great pictures.
We were surprisingly stopped by one citizen asking us did we have permission to take pictures of the outside, but Kelly assured him that we did and that we were learning. That was a prime example of exactly how private everything is on the base.
So far, this was one of my favorite aspects of the internship program because it was cool learning how to really take a good quality picture. Although that's not the field any of us are going in, its great to have those skills because they are, believe it or not, really versatile. Everyone loves a good picture. Even more so, when you're writing an article and you need a picture to accompany it, this way you can take it yourself. So thanks to that lesson we actually got a pretty good one. (and yes I took this one while creeping on the other interns ;p)
Monday, July 8, 2013
The Art of Multitasking
What does public affairs work have in common with a busy school week? No, not lack of sleep or frequent stress-induced snack breaks (on second thought, snack breaks are pretty important all the time...)
But seriously, the ability to multitask is really important to my daily work here at Pax River. Because I'm working with NAS Patuxent River's newspaper, the Tester, story ideas are constantly flowing in not only from my PAO mentor, who is in charge of the Tester, but also from other PAO's and Pax River personnel. For this reason, I often have to prioritize my work. The Tester is published weekly, with the beginning of the week the last chance for that week's submissions. Obviously, if I have a story to be published this week, I need to put that story first. The tricky part is when I have multiple stories due soon or I have a lengthy list of things to get done and don't know where to start.
This can certainly become overwhelming, and while I'm a top-notch procrastinator with my schoolwork (I'm a better writer at 3 a.m., okay?), letting a project get stale is not an option with public affairs. Not only do we face deadlines, but people like to see their hard work going somewhere. If someone takes time out of his or her busy schedule to do an interview with me or to give me some information, I had better come up with a product that shows the community what this person has accomplished and why this is important. I love this side of public affairs and often get sucked into the stories I'm assigned because I get the chance to understand firsthand why people are proud of their work. Translating the enthusiasm behind someone's work to best highlight an accomplishment is sometimes tough, but always rewarding!
As other interns have mentioned, the field of public affairs involves a lot of waiting for responses and edits. Because we are interns, this process has another level: checking in with our PAO mentors is an important step in every task we take on. This added time in between steps does have benefits: while I'm waiting for my work to be edited or to schedule an interview, I can turn to another project.
Last week, Connie asked me to head over to Webster Field, an annex site to the main Patuxent River base that houses two divisions of NAWCAD, a Coast Guard station, and a Maryland National Guard station, to work through some issues with the various site's websites. So, I reached out to the people with whom I needed to speak. Of course, responses trickled in: people needed to make room in their schedules to speak with me. While I was waiting to set up meetings, I worked on a few articles, one about a retiring Educational Services Officer and another about the NAWCAD energy strategy published this spring. Both articles required input from a few sources, so I was communicating with quite a few people from various departments while writing in multiple directions. This is what reminded me strongly of my schoolwork - I'm a biology and religious studies double major, so my mind has grown accustomed to going in a few directions at once.
Because I'm beginning to consider myself an efficient multitasker, I have some tips for multitasking in relation to public affairs:
1) Stay organized in your personal style. My workspace may look like a jumbled heap of papers and notes (and snacks), but I still know where everything I need is. My secret organization weapon? Sticky notes. They're everywhere...
2) Keep a planner. Okay, so right now, I'm just working out of a plain notebook, but I'm still sure to date everything and I start each day with a quick list of what I need to do.
3) Lists! List out contacts for each project, deadlines, the angle you're going for, and any miscellaneous information that you just know you'll forget.
4) Take a breather. Brains get tired when they're forced to work on multiple things at once. Take a quick break, draw a picture of a panda bear, check the Red Sox score from last night and cry a little, give your brain a pep talk if you're that kind of person, and get back to it!
5) As interns, we have some breathing room because we're here to learn. Do your best, but don't stress out - I've found that willing and experienced public affairs people are all around and will be happy to help!
But seriously, the ability to multitask is really important to my daily work here at Pax River. Because I'm working with NAS Patuxent River's newspaper, the Tester, story ideas are constantly flowing in not only from my PAO mentor, who is in charge of the Tester, but also from other PAO's and Pax River personnel. For this reason, I often have to prioritize my work. The Tester is published weekly, with the beginning of the week the last chance for that week's submissions. Obviously, if I have a story to be published this week, I need to put that story first. The tricky part is when I have multiple stories due soon or I have a lengthy list of things to get done and don't know where to start.
This can certainly become overwhelming, and while I'm a top-notch procrastinator with my schoolwork (I'm a better writer at 3 a.m., okay?), letting a project get stale is not an option with public affairs. Not only do we face deadlines, but people like to see their hard work going somewhere. If someone takes time out of his or her busy schedule to do an interview with me or to give me some information, I had better come up with a product that shows the community what this person has accomplished and why this is important. I love this side of public affairs and often get sucked into the stories I'm assigned because I get the chance to understand firsthand why people are proud of their work. Translating the enthusiasm behind someone's work to best highlight an accomplishment is sometimes tough, but always rewarding!
As other interns have mentioned, the field of public affairs involves a lot of waiting for responses and edits. Because we are interns, this process has another level: checking in with our PAO mentors is an important step in every task we take on. This added time in between steps does have benefits: while I'm waiting for my work to be edited or to schedule an interview, I can turn to another project.
Last week, Connie asked me to head over to Webster Field, an annex site to the main Patuxent River base that houses two divisions of NAWCAD, a Coast Guard station, and a Maryland National Guard station, to work through some issues with the various site's websites. So, I reached out to the people with whom I needed to speak. Of course, responses trickled in: people needed to make room in their schedules to speak with me. While I was waiting to set up meetings, I worked on a few articles, one about a retiring Educational Services Officer and another about the NAWCAD energy strategy published this spring. Both articles required input from a few sources, so I was communicating with quite a few people from various departments while writing in multiple directions. This is what reminded me strongly of my schoolwork - I'm a biology and religious studies double major, so my mind has grown accustomed to going in a few directions at once.
Because I'm beginning to consider myself an efficient multitasker, I have some tips for multitasking in relation to public affairs:
1) Stay organized in your personal style. My workspace may look like a jumbled heap of papers and notes (and snacks), but I still know where everything I need is. My secret organization weapon? Sticky notes. They're everywhere...
2) Keep a planner. Okay, so right now, I'm just working out of a plain notebook, but I'm still sure to date everything and I start each day with a quick list of what I need to do.
3) Lists! List out contacts for each project, deadlines, the angle you're going for, and any miscellaneous information that you just know you'll forget.
4) Take a breather. Brains get tired when they're forced to work on multiple things at once. Take a quick break, draw a picture of a panda bear, check the Red Sox score from last night and cry a little, give your brain a pep talk if you're that kind of person, and get back to it!
5) As interns, we have some breathing room because we're here to learn. Do your best, but don't stress out - I've found that willing and experienced public affairs people are all around and will be happy to help!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Intern Bonding
Tomorrow is the 4th of July (yayyy one of my favorite holidays!) so a lot of people took off work today or are leaving early. The other interns and I were here though and we spent most of the day together.
One of the things that I think makes our internship special is that we have "intern training" every Wednesday for 2 to 2.5 hours. A Public Affairs Officer teaches it and the topics range from newswriting to media relations to social media etc. We also learn from the visual information people who teach us about things like broadcasting, graphics, and photography. These training sessions include copy editing training (through quizzes and practice - its basically Get to Know Your AP Stylebook 101) which in turn improves our writing. The sessions are a nice way to get to know the different facets of public affairs works, and they give the internship a more hands-on approach because we get face-to-face time with many of the PAOs.
Today our training focused on social media and writing for the web. We learned about the various networks NAVAIR and NAWCAD use to get their news out and talked with the Social Media/External Website people who walked us through how they manage those pages (Twitter/Facebook/Website/Youtube) and what writing styles/guidelines apply to them. They talked about what makes web writing compelling and how to draw your readers in, too.
After training, all the interns went out to lunch together. Aren't we cute:) We gorged ourselves on Bollywood Masala (actually though...I ate way too much but Indian food is soOo good) then came back to go to a photography lesson with the VI photographer, Kelly. She is awesome and her desk is surrounded by really cool photos. She talked us through using the camera -- why different settings matter and how to use them appropriately. Its confusing! Aperture/shutter speed/white balance/ISO - there is so much to learn but its fascinating and its interesting to see how even slight changes to the camera's settings can completely alter the photo you capture.
Everyone got a camera to work with...can you say heavy? Those things feel like they weigh 10 pounds! We went outside because even though it was hot lets be honest - taking pictures outside is way more fun than indoors. Everyone had to pick a spot with three objects to focus on and then practice focusing on each one separately while adjusting aperture accordingly. It was hard! We then went out to the corner of two roads and shot cars driving by to practice using the shutter speed and panning the camera. It was funny because we wanted the cars to be going fast but everyone kept slowing down when they saw us. Maybe they mistook the long camera lens for a kind of radar? Who knows. We also had a 'concerned individual' pull over to ensure we were authorized to take photos on the base. (We are - but there are procedures in place on Naval bases about photography and you can't just go around taking pictures.)
The lesson ended inside with a little run-through of how to shoot using the manual setting which is difficult because you have to decide all the settings instead of letting the camera choose for you, and then we looked at the pictures we took. They weren't anything special (hey we're beginners) but Elana got a good 'aperture' one that she sneakily shot of Courtney, Annalise, and me. We all really enjoyed it because it was fun to learn on our feet with the cameras actually in hand and I know I definitely want to learn more about photography.
After intern lunch :) it was so sunny outside!
One of the things that I think makes our internship special is that we have "intern training" every Wednesday for 2 to 2.5 hours. A Public Affairs Officer teaches it and the topics range from newswriting to media relations to social media etc. We also learn from the visual information people who teach us about things like broadcasting, graphics, and photography. These training sessions include copy editing training (through quizzes and practice - its basically Get to Know Your AP Stylebook 101) which in turn improves our writing. The sessions are a nice way to get to know the different facets of public affairs works, and they give the internship a more hands-on approach because we get face-to-face time with many of the PAOs.
Today our training focused on social media and writing for the web. We learned about the various networks NAVAIR and NAWCAD use to get their news out and talked with the Social Media/External Website people who walked us through how they manage those pages (Twitter/Facebook/Website/Youtube) and what writing styles/guidelines apply to them. They talked about what makes web writing compelling and how to draw your readers in, too.
After training, all the interns went out to lunch together. Aren't we cute:) We gorged ourselves on Bollywood Masala (actually though...I ate way too much but Indian food is soOo good) then came back to go to a photography lesson with the VI photographer, Kelly. She is awesome and her desk is surrounded by really cool photos. She talked us through using the camera -- why different settings matter and how to use them appropriately. Its confusing! Aperture/shutter speed/white balance/ISO - there is so much to learn but its fascinating and its interesting to see how even slight changes to the camera's settings can completely alter the photo you capture.
Everyone got a camera to work with...can you say heavy? Those things feel like they weigh 10 pounds! We went outside because even though it was hot lets be honest - taking pictures outside is way more fun than indoors. Everyone had to pick a spot with three objects to focus on and then practice focusing on each one separately while adjusting aperture accordingly. It was hard! We then went out to the corner of two roads and shot cars driving by to practice using the shutter speed and panning the camera. It was funny because we wanted the cars to be going fast but everyone kept slowing down when they saw us. Maybe they mistook the long camera lens for a kind of radar? Who knows. We also had a 'concerned individual' pull over to ensure we were authorized to take photos on the base. (We are - but there are procedures in place on Naval bases about photography and you can't just go around taking pictures.)
The lesson ended inside with a little run-through of how to shoot using the manual setting which is difficult because you have to decide all the settings instead of letting the camera choose for you, and then we looked at the pictures we took. They weren't anything special (hey we're beginners) but Elana got a good 'aperture' one that she sneakily shot of Courtney, Annalise, and me. We all really enjoyed it because it was fun to learn on our feet with the cameras actually in hand and I know I definitely want to learn more about photography.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Links to our content
Our content goes/can go to a lot of different outlets. Here are a few of them:
http://www.navair.navy.mil/news
https://www.facebook.com/NAVAIR
https://twitter.com/NAVAIRNews
http://www.youtube.com/user/NAVAIRSYSCOM
http://www.dcmilitary.com/section/news14 (The Tester)
http://www.marines.mil/
http://www.navy.mil/
http://www.navair.navy.mil/news
https://www.facebook.com/NAVAIR
https://twitter.com/NAVAIRNews
http://www.youtube.com/user/NAVAIRSYSCOM
http://www.dcmilitary.com/section/news14 (The Tester)
http://www.marines.mil/
http://www.navy.mil/
Some helpful links (not just for interns)
Here are some resources (in old school typewriter font) for when you get stuck:
– The American Copy Editors Society, or ACES, (www.copydesk.org) link, http://www2.copydesk.org/hold/words/ offers tips on editing and headline writing, comments on cliches and bad writing, etc. ACES, the American Copy Editors Society, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) education and membership organization working toward the advancement of copy editors. Our aim is to provide solutions to editing problems, training and a place to discuss common issues. ACES is an international members’ alliance of editors working at newspapers, magazines, websites, traditional media outlets, Fortune 500, as well as freelance editors, students and their professors.
– www.Poynter.org’s newsu has a wealth of resources for both young and seasoned journalists: http://www.newsu.org/resources; http://www.journalism.org/resources/j_tools; http://rjionline.org/ccj/tools
– http://dinfos.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp. The Defense Information School (DINFOS) educates Public Affairs and Visual Information personnel for the U.S. Department of Defense. Here’s a link to its writing curriculum.
– www.cjr.org. Columbia Journalism Review is a great magazine and its companion website is a treasure trove of information on media trends and analysis. This article is great for “rookies.” http://www.cjr.org/realtalk/reporting_for_rookies.php
– http://www.spj.org/students.asp. The Society of Professional Journalists is the largest and most broad-based membership association for journalists in the nation. The journalist’s toolbox will delight you: http://www.journaliststoolbox.org/
– http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/teaching-and-learning-about-journalism/. The New York Times Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on New York Times content.
– www.hsj.org/Students/index.cfm?requestAction=goMenuContent&CmsPagesID=181&menu_id=5. Aimed to give insight into the world of scholastic journalism — and reach beyond into the professional world — this collection of links is for student journalists and their teachers.
– www.studentpress.org/sourcebook/. A directory of links and contact information for resources and organizations of interest to student journalists.
– www.americanpressinstitute.org/resources/student-journalism.aspx. Resources, including scholarships, for student journalists.
– http://nyujournalismtools.wordpress.com/. When you’re researching and reporting, you’re going to need credible sources, here’s a start.
– http://www.threesixtyjournalism.org/node/64. ThreeSixty Journalism, a program of the University of St. Thomas, brings diverse voices into journalism and related professions by using intense, personal instruction in the practice and principles of journalism.
– http://web.ku.edu/~edit/captions.html. University of Kansas provides a guide to writing captions and cutlines.
http://photographytraining.tpub.com/14130/. Private organization Integrated Publishing (www.tpub.com) provides user-friendly access to military educational publications, including this link to Navy public affairs and audiovisual guidelines.
– The American Copy Editors Society, or ACES, (www.copydesk.org) link, http://www2.copydesk.org/hold/words/ offers tips on editing and headline writing, comments on cliches and bad writing, etc. ACES, the American Copy Editors Society, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) education and membership organization working toward the advancement of copy editors. Our aim is to provide solutions to editing problems, training and a place to discuss common issues. ACES is an international members’ alliance of editors working at newspapers, magazines, websites, traditional media outlets, Fortune 500, as well as freelance editors, students and their professors.
– www.Poynter.org’s newsu has a wealth of resources for both young and seasoned journalists: http://www.newsu.org/resources; http://www.journalism.org/resources/j_tools; http://rjionline.org/ccj/tools
– http://dinfos.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp. The Defense Information School (DINFOS) educates Public Affairs and Visual Information personnel for the U.S. Department of Defense. Here’s a link to its writing curriculum.
– www.cjr.org. Columbia Journalism Review is a great magazine and its companion website is a treasure trove of information on media trends and analysis. This article is great for “rookies.” http://www.cjr.org/realtalk/reporting_for_rookies.php
– http://www.spj.org/students.asp. The Society of Professional Journalists is the largest and most broad-based membership association for journalists in the nation. The journalist’s toolbox will delight you: http://www.journaliststoolbox.org/
– http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/teaching-and-learning-about-journalism/. The New York Times Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on New York Times content.
– www.hsj.org/Students/index.cfm?requestAction=goMenuContent&CmsPagesID=181&menu_id=5. Aimed to give insight into the world of scholastic journalism — and reach beyond into the professional world — this collection of links is for student journalists and their teachers.
– www.studentpress.org/sourcebook/. A directory of links and contact information for resources and organizations of interest to student journalists.
– www.americanpressinstitute.org/resources/student-journalism.aspx. Resources, including scholarships, for student journalists.
– http://nyujournalismtools.wordpress.com/. When you’re researching and reporting, you’re going to need credible sources, here’s a start.
– http://www.threesixtyjournalism.org/node/64. ThreeSixty Journalism, a program of the University of St. Thomas, brings diverse voices into journalism and related professions by using intense, personal instruction in the practice and principles of journalism.
– http://web.ku.edu/~edit/captions.html. University of Kansas provides a guide to writing captions and cutlines.
http://photographytraining.tpub.com/14130/. Private organization Integrated Publishing (www.tpub.com) provides user-friendly access to military educational publications, including this link to Navy public affairs and audiovisual guidelines.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Hurry, Hurry, Hurry...Wait
Interns tend to be at the bottom of the totem pole in any type of workplace. We spend time doing things that the actual employees don't want to do or never have time to do, so they're not always exhilarating. However, in the world of public affairs, everything tends to be fast-paced so even if it seems like grunt work, it has to be done quickly! The same thing goes for actual assignments. Almost everything has a deadline and things are expected to be completed as soon as possible.
Working on the base means you spend a lot of time waiting for people to email/call you back, waiting for edits and waiting for approval. At the same time you are asked to get things done within small time frames ranging from the space of a day to a couple days. On top of that, as an intern everything goes through your mentor/superior first, which adds another step in the process and causes things to take longer. It can feel like a see-saw - a mix between large bursts of activity and work to do where you think to yourself 'I'm never going to get all of this done in time!' and long periods of stagnation and waiting where you find yourself staring down your computer screen waiting for a response to pop up in the bottom right-hand corner.
This week was a 'waiting' week for me. Last week I started working on an infographic after meeting with Paul, NAWCAD's Energy Manager, and getting the information I needed. I worked on it on a secondary basis because I had to finish editing factsheets and compiling information from posters for 4.0's "Getting to Know 4.0" Campaign first since that was due last Friday. I was given a template for inspiration for the infographic and I knew what I wanted it to look like so it was mainly down to simplifying the information and figuring out the best way to make sure everything Paul and I felt was relevant would be represented.
I finished writing the text and drew out the design on a piece of printer paper Wednesday afternoon and was ready for it to go from a sketch to a graphic. At first I thought the next step was to give everything to a graphic designer and work with him/her to ensure it turned out the way I visualized it but I found out it was intended to be more of a design learning experience so that I could be involved in the graphic design side too. I immediately started googling ‘how to make an infographic’ and opened about 15 tabs detailing various different ways to make infographics without special software, which I then proceeded to read and attempt. I tried a few of the free websites that were suggested and made a couple rudimentary infographics but was disappointed in the results when they weren’t as beautiful or visually appealing as the picture I had in my head…also the Windows computer I was on is probably around 1,000 years old and very slow (not exactly the snazzy Mac many of the websites recommended I use). I couldn’t watch tutorials because you can’t use YouTube on an NMCI computer so I watched a couple on my iPhone instead until the battery drained down to 20%. Although my attempts at generating a free graphic fell short I learned quite a bit about the different ways you can design infographics and I saved some of the links because I want to try out the websites I used at work on my Mac at home. All in all, I learned its probably best to use special software that is actually meant to generate graphics but hey it was worth a try to see if I could do it without -and for free!
If you’re curious/interested:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/infographic-create-infographic/
http://www.graphs.net/201303/how-to-create-an-awesome-infographic.html
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/awesome-free-tools-infographics/
http://www.infographicsarchive.com/create-infographics-and-data-visualization/
I didn't have the necessary software on my computer to make the infographic so I got in contact with the David, the Visual Information Team Lead, about how to make that happen. (I was told I would probably be working with Adobe InDesign so I spent a little time reading a tutorial I found for creating infographics with it because I didn’t want to go in completely blind.) He wasn't available until Friday morning so the infographic got pushed to the back burner for Thursday and I spent most of the day designing the intern blog, (you're welcome for the collage of aircraft in the background:) ) pestering the graphic designer who sits next to me at FRC (but doesn't work for PAO) to see if my vision was going in the right direction, (<-- can I keep the comma there? Should blog posts be in AP style? Ahh the stylebook is making me question everything!) and receiving compliments on my highlighter orange dress. (see picture below, I'm not exaggerating...its shockingly bright!)
Friday morning I arrived at the VI building and learned that we are getting a graphic designer who will sit at VI permanently now. She is moving in today and I didn’t want to overwhelm her by throwing an assignment in her lap automatically but once she was partially settled in (by partially I mean her computer was up and running) we got the chance to sit down and talk about how to turn my vision into a reality. She’s really nice and I’m looking forward to learning from her and experiencing the drawing-to-design process. I’m just disappointed I won’t be back until Wednesday! (One of the major differences for me this summer compared to last…my time at PAO feels a little disjointed because I work somewhere else Monday and Tuesdays.)
I have to say, the blog is definitely nice to have in this internship of hurrying and waiting because now the interns will have something we can do when we’re in the in-between stages of other assignments.
Working on the base means you spend a lot of time waiting for people to email/call you back, waiting for edits and waiting for approval. At the same time you are asked to get things done within small time frames ranging from the space of a day to a couple days. On top of that, as an intern everything goes through your mentor/superior first, which adds another step in the process and causes things to take longer. It can feel like a see-saw - a mix between large bursts of activity and work to do where you think to yourself 'I'm never going to get all of this done in time!' and long periods of stagnation and waiting where you find yourself staring down your computer screen waiting for a response to pop up in the bottom right-hand corner.
This week was a 'waiting' week for me. Last week I started working on an infographic after meeting with Paul, NAWCAD's Energy Manager, and getting the information I needed. I worked on it on a secondary basis because I had to finish editing factsheets and compiling information from posters for 4.0's "Getting to Know 4.0" Campaign first since that was due last Friday. I was given a template for inspiration for the infographic and I knew what I wanted it to look like so it was mainly down to simplifying the information and figuring out the best way to make sure everything Paul and I felt was relevant would be represented.
I finished writing the text and drew out the design on a piece of printer paper Wednesday afternoon and was ready for it to go from a sketch to a graphic. At first I thought the next step was to give everything to a graphic designer and work with him/her to ensure it turned out the way I visualized it but I found out it was intended to be more of a design learning experience so that I could be involved in the graphic design side too. I immediately started googling ‘how to make an infographic’ and opened about 15 tabs detailing various different ways to make infographics without special software, which I then proceeded to read and attempt. I tried a few of the free websites that were suggested and made a couple rudimentary infographics but was disappointed in the results when they weren’t as beautiful or visually appealing as the picture I had in my head…also the Windows computer I was on is probably around 1,000 years old and very slow (not exactly the snazzy Mac many of the websites recommended I use). I couldn’t watch tutorials because you can’t use YouTube on an NMCI computer so I watched a couple on my iPhone instead until the battery drained down to 20%. Although my attempts at generating a free graphic fell short I learned quite a bit about the different ways you can design infographics and I saved some of the links because I want to try out the websites I used at work on my Mac at home. All in all, I learned its probably best to use special software that is actually meant to generate graphics but hey it was worth a try to see if I could do it without -and for free!
If you’re curious/interested:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/infographic-create-infographic/
http://www.graphs.net/201303/how-to-create-an-awesome-infographic.html
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/awesome-free-tools-infographics/
http://www.infographicsarchive.com/create-infographics-and-data-visualization/
I didn't have the necessary software on my computer to make the infographic so I got in contact with the David, the Visual Information Team Lead, about how to make that happen. (I was told I would probably be working with Adobe InDesign so I spent a little time reading a tutorial I found for creating infographics with it because I didn’t want to go in completely blind.) He wasn't available until Friday morning so the infographic got pushed to the back burner for Thursday and I spent most of the day designing the intern blog, (you're welcome for the collage of aircraft in the background:) ) pestering the graphic designer who sits next to me at FRC (but doesn't work for PAO) to see if my vision was going in the right direction, (<-- can I keep the comma there? Should blog posts be in AP style? Ahh the stylebook is making me question everything!) and receiving compliments on my highlighter orange dress. (see picture below, I'm not exaggerating...its shockingly bright!)
Friday morning I arrived at the VI building and learned that we are getting a graphic designer who will sit at VI permanently now. She is moving in today and I didn’t want to overwhelm her by throwing an assignment in her lap automatically but once she was partially settled in (by partially I mean her computer was up and running) we got the chance to sit down and talk about how to turn my vision into a reality. She’s really nice and I’m looking forward to learning from her and experiencing the drawing-to-design process. I’m just disappointed I won’t be back until Wednesday! (One of the major differences for me this summer compared to last…my time at PAO feels a little disjointed because I work somewhere else Monday and Tuesdays.)
I have to say, the blog is definitely nice to have in this internship of hurrying and waiting because now the interns will have something we can do when we’re in the in-between stages of other assignments.
It is a year later: I'm still the new guy.
Last summer, a little over a year ago, I started with NAVAIR as an intern in Public Affairs but sitting in the Visual Information building. Around late November, I made the transition to a paid Pathways internship, working specifically with Jamie Cosgrove, the lead PAO for the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO (&W)). In that transition, from summer to fall semester, there was a bit of a culture shock.
We’ll get to that in a minute.
The top two most exciting and poignant memories I have from last summer were my first published article and a photo excursion with the visual information team.
My first article was about the Sailor of the Year award. There are dozens of winners and numerous categories, but my sailor (and yes, I thought of him as my sailor) was stationed in Afghanistan with a family and a young son living in California. He loved sports and played in an intramural league when he was home, coaching his son’s peewee soccer (?) team on the side. Through a string of emails, missed phone calls and shoddy international connection, I got to know him as a person. I felt personally responsible for how I presented him in my story – I was super conscious of my readers and I wanted them to feel as connected and proud of this young Navy dad as I did.
My story went through five rounds of edits and I learned my first AP style lessons. A number of the personal elements were taken out of the story, but once ready to be published, I pushed the piece to his hometown and his parent’s hometown paper. They picked it up. He was ecstatic and so grateful. After reading about his accomplishments and having a close friend in the Marines, I felt like I should be thanking him for the privilege of being about to write about him life, not the other way around.
My adventures with the visual team spanned the summer. I received my bachelor’s in English and visual art (particularly photography) this past May and knowing that, Victor (our intern supervisor at the time) gave me the opportunity to both write and photograph. I went to the AUVSI competition at Webster field, trying my hand at videography and artistic photojournalism. Kelly (one of our photographers) gave me incredible advice on how to make my shots stronger and more interesting.
So we started a piece on a juvenile bald eagle on base. Bald eagles are a threatened species and this youngin was hanging around humans, close to roads and active beaches. As a threatened species, the eagles nests cannot be touched. And neither can the birds themselves. Our photographers were rushing out the door – someone had just reported a sighting and they were hoping to actually get photos in round two of eagle-hunting – and they invited me along. We probably spent 15 minutes looking for the dark bird in the dark trunks of swamp trees. Kelly spotted him and we set up our equipment.
We were using a massive lens to photograph the eaglet when three military police cars came roaring up to us and screeching to a halt across the road. They questioned us ad nauseum about our cameras, our purpose for being on the side of the road, sweating and staring into the trees. After a while, they actually took our word that we were with visual information and went on their way.
On our ride back to home base, we saw an old tug boat which we preceded to race (in our government van) so that Kelly could get shots out of the side window. A mile later, we had pulled over again to try and get some shots of feeding vultures. Please keep in mind; this is a mid-90s July afternoon.
We arrived back at the lab with shots of two different kinds of birds, old boats and a lot of empty swamp trees (of when we missed the camouflaged eaglet).
My current position is decidedly sans sailor profiles and avian car chases.
There are pros and cons to my position now (and it will probably take a second post to explain fully). I work directly with a Public Affairs Officer now. On one hand, I no longer have the freedom to chase my own stories and find beautifully interesting and diverse people who work on this base. I don’t have time to go sprinting out of the office in search of threatened species, or spend an entire afternoon documenting a young designers’ unmanned aircraft competition. However, I am learning, from the ground up, what it means to truly be in a Public Affairs role.
My days are now filled with writing, editing and reading press releases on accomplished program milestones, archiving media queries in a metrics database, collecting and distributing news relevant to the PEO and PMAs and taking a course on Acquisition 101 (so that I can actually understand the jargon floating around). I sit and listen to phone conferences about the upcoming UCAS carrier trials and take copious notes, trying to recognize each participant’s voice and remember who they are, why their important and what their position is.
I’m in an entry-level Public Affairs position and, as such, am learning from the very basis of what Public Affairs people actually do. I am the point person for the quieter, less boisterous, weapons side of our PEO, but I am getting valuable and informative experience in how to manage relationship with various players in the different PMAs and how to field the few media queries we receive. (I’m definitely going to cover my current position more in a second post.)
My biggest fear last summer was learning enough to not screw up in enough of a giant, horrible, tragically terrible way to not be invited back. That was worded poorly, but the point is, I liked the work I was doing and I was intrigued to see where I could go. My position is complex – it is easy in some ways and difficult in others. I have so much to learn and, as a perfectionist and someone who used to pride herself on not making the same mistake twice, I have had to learn (and am still learning) to accept myself as new to my position and ignorant of many things I needed to learn(although I still struggle with that on a constant basis).
As one of the PAOs recently and offhandedly mentioned, I was lucky to be the intern who happened to go to school in the area and be asked to apply for this paid Pathways position. It could have been anyone. And it’s that humbling realization that makes me realize that maybe it was more about time and place rather than talent (though certain minimum requirements have to be met, of course) and that I lucked my way into this current position. I’m super grateful and super aware of the talent that surrounds me in my fellow interns and I hope that throughout the rest of this summer, I can continue to learn the things I need to learn from the older PAOs and from my fellow entry-level, passionate interns.
Fun fact: I’m the youngest person in a paid PAO position by 11 years…
What we look for in an intern
Think you can tell what someone is like from a resume and cover letter?
Sometimes you can. I recently interviewed someone interested in public affairs who had a 3.7 GPA from an Ivy League school and a 3.8 GPA in a Master's program at USC (not the good USC, but the one with some Greek mascot...Go Gamecocks!).
Predictably, she was bright, well-spoken and very accomplished. But would she make a good public affairs person? I wanted to find out what made her tick...much like we do for our interns.
What are some of the things we look for?
Initiative. In our short experience with interns in the office, I think the most significant predictor of how successful and how meaningful the experience for interns and the staff will be is someone who, when given a starting point and a little guidance, can go out on their own to tackle a story, research a new media distribution channel, or follows-up with a task without prodding.
A willingness to fail. We don't expect our interns to know anything. What I hope we get is someone who tries, wants to do a good job, and is willing to accept coaching on how to improve their performance. Especially in editing. It is a fact of life in this job that your words are going to be edited...a lot. Our interns have to understand that -- understand and embrace, really -- and not take it personally when your document comes back to you and you can't read it without getting a headache because it's so red. (Better living through chemistry is sometimes appropriate.)
Those are just two qualities, but a good start.
What is going to happen to the Greek, Ivy League lady? We'll find out in October!
Sometimes you can. I recently interviewed someone interested in public affairs who had a 3.7 GPA from an Ivy League school and a 3.8 GPA in a Master's program at USC (not the good USC, but the one with some Greek mascot...Go Gamecocks!).
Predictably, she was bright, well-spoken and very accomplished. But would she make a good public affairs person? I wanted to find out what made her tick...much like we do for our interns.
What are some of the things we look for?
Initiative. In our short experience with interns in the office, I think the most significant predictor of how successful and how meaningful the experience for interns and the staff will be is someone who, when given a starting point and a little guidance, can go out on their own to tackle a story, research a new media distribution channel, or follows-up with a task without prodding.
A willingness to fail. We don't expect our interns to know anything. What I hope we get is someone who tries, wants to do a good job, and is willing to accept coaching on how to improve their performance. Especially in editing. It is a fact of life in this job that your words are going to be edited...a lot. Our interns have to understand that -- understand and embrace, really -- and not take it personally when your document comes back to you and you can't read it without getting a headache because it's so red. (Better living through chemistry is sometimes appropriate.)
Those are just two qualities, but a good start.
What is going to happen to the Greek, Ivy League lady? We'll find out in October!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
"Friday", is that you? It's me, the intern
Wow! This week was fast, eventful, and darn near over. As I only work Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays- my week goes by faster than usual because I get to skip past the long and dreadful Monday's. Also, in addition to what one of the other interns said, I forgot to mention the flexibility we have here as an intern at NAVAIR. The mentors will work with just about whatever scheldule you desire- within reason.. which is greatly appreciated.
Anywho, let me tell you about my week. So Tuesday, was here and gone in about a blink of an eye. I've been working on my first story for awhile now; not because I'm slow at writing :p but because the editing process is SO tedious. So my Tuesday consisted of editing, editing.. and oh yeah, editing. For lunch my mentor, LaToya, took me to this yummy restaraunt about 5 minutes from the base called Asai, I believe. It's one of those restaraunts where they cook in front of you with the fire and all. After lunch we came back and yep, you guessed it, more editing.
One of the great things here about being an intern is that they expect minor slip-ups and mistakes. We aren't perfect, and we are here to learn how to prevent those slip-ups and mistakes for our future endeavors. It's great to have one person look over your articles, but with almost 8 public affairs officers here, you have up to 8 different forms of feedback you can get on your work; which in any work environment is great.
Wednesday I started working on another story, while my first story was getting edited. Then around 1:00 I left for our weekly class held every Wednesday. We learned about photography, and the media; as in what's appropriate to share with them and what isn't. The classes we have on Wednesdays are always so informational and interesting. We get a chance to take a breather from our other work and interact with the other interns while still learning. We do stimulus workshops and quizzes to brush up on our AP Stylebook skills, which to any public affairs officer, is more than helpful.
Well, today is Thursday, which as I said before, is my Friday 8). I have my two stories to finish, a caption to write and then I'll be done for the day.
Happy "Friday"!
Anywho, let me tell you about my week. So Tuesday, was here and gone in about a blink of an eye. I've been working on my first story for awhile now; not because I'm slow at writing :p but because the editing process is SO tedious. So my Tuesday consisted of editing, editing.. and oh yeah, editing. For lunch my mentor, LaToya, took me to this yummy restaraunt about 5 minutes from the base called Asai, I believe. It's one of those restaraunts where they cook in front of you with the fire and all. After lunch we came back and yep, you guessed it, more editing.
One of the great things here about being an intern is that they expect minor slip-ups and mistakes. We aren't perfect, and we are here to learn how to prevent those slip-ups and mistakes for our future endeavors. It's great to have one person look over your articles, but with almost 8 public affairs officers here, you have up to 8 different forms of feedback you can get on your work; which in any work environment is great.
Wednesday I started working on another story, while my first story was getting edited. Then around 1:00 I left for our weekly class held every Wednesday. We learned about photography, and the media; as in what's appropriate to share with them and what isn't. The classes we have on Wednesdays are always so informational and interesting. We get a chance to take a breather from our other work and interact with the other interns while still learning. We do stimulus workshops and quizzes to brush up on our AP Stylebook skills, which to any public affairs officer, is more than helpful.
Well, today is Thursday, which as I said before, is my Friday 8). I have my two stories to finish, a caption to write and then I'll be done for the day.
Happy "Friday"!
My first byline! (hopefully)
Last week I was on vacation in southern Virginia where the only thing I worked on was my tan, so it was a little difficult to get back into the swing of things here at my internship. But right when I walked in and I had an inbox full of emails, I was excited to back into the action.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Living the Intern Life
My name is Shannon Slaughter and I will be a senior at the University of Florida in the fall. So first and foremost, Go Gators! Now I have to follow that up with a "Go Navy!" because working here at NAS Patuxent River is such an enjoyable experience. I first found out about the opportunity to intern with the Public Affairs Office on base last summer. The intern program was very small and consisted of college students from nearby St. Mary's College of Maryland. I was excited and a little nervous to start working in public affairs because I didn't know very much about it and didn't know what to expect. After a whirlwind summer filled with helpful mentors, especially Victor Chen and Paula Paige, interesting assignments and a lot of learning, I knew I had to come back this summer.
Working in the Public Affairs Office exposes you to every aspect of a Navy base. My dad is a retired Navy captain and former helicopter pilot so I grew up with the military and am very familiar with the mission side of things. However, since interning with the PAO I've learned there is a whole other world on Navy bases outside of the hangers - and it is just as entertaining and exciting! (Although I'm not sure if my dad would agree with that statement...)
I work Wednesday through Friday on the base and I will be here until the beginning of August when I head back down to Florida. Work varies from writing articles, to creating factsheets and infographics, to helping with web design and photography. We also learn about AP style writing and editing, social media and media relations. Its a lot of learn and handle, but its the kind of challenge that you want to tackle because its always interesting. The summer is flying by and I can't believe its already almost July!
I think that what makes this internship so great is that there is a lot going on and every day is different which means I'm never bored and I'm always learning. I'm so glad I have this internship because before it I knew nothing about public affairs and now I can see myself working in this field for the rest of my life!
Working in the Public Affairs Office exposes you to every aspect of a Navy base. My dad is a retired Navy captain and former helicopter pilot so I grew up with the military and am very familiar with the mission side of things. However, since interning with the PAO I've learned there is a whole other world on Navy bases outside of the hangers - and it is just as entertaining and exciting! (Although I'm not sure if my dad would agree with that statement...)
I work Wednesday through Friday on the base and I will be here until the beginning of August when I head back down to Florida. Work varies from writing articles, to creating factsheets and infographics, to helping with web design and photography. We also learn about AP style writing and editing, social media and media relations. Its a lot of learn and handle, but its the kind of challenge that you want to tackle because its always interesting. The summer is flying by and I can't believe its already almost July!
I think that what makes this internship so great is that there is a lot going on and every day is different which means I'm never bored and I'm always learning. I'm so glad I have this internship because before it I knew nothing about public affairs and now I can see myself working in this field for the rest of my life!
I Have My Own Spinny Chair! -- My Experience as a Public Affairs Intern
I am a rising junior at St. Mary's College of Maryland, a little liberal arts school just a few miles from NAS Patuxent River, so when I heard about this internship through my career development center I gathered together my resume and writing samples and attended an introduction meeting hosted by two PAOs. My close proximity to the base throughout two years of school made it impossible not to hear about base activities, so I was intrigued by the opportunity of working "behind the scenes." I also wanted to improve the public affairs skills that I developed working for the public affairs office at St. Mary's.
My internship experience has flown by so far. I began working in mid-May and will finish at the beginning of August. I work up to three days a week on base and spend the remaining days working at St. Mary's (to fund my pricey Indian food habit). I was assigned NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs officer Connie Hempel as a mentor--she is in charge of the Tester newspaper, which details the activities of all tenants on the installation. As such, I've been able to work on a variety of articles, photo opportunities, and other miscellaneous projects with Connie's extensive experience and advice as a support.
The most difficult part of this internship at first was finding my way around base; I'd never driven on base before, so when I went to take photos of a logging project in some remote corner of the installation, I thought for sure I'd be lost forever. But I have no problem navigating the installation now, thanks to the diversity of projects I've been assigned, which have allowed me to meet an assortment of military, civilian and contracting personnel employed here.
The most influential facet of my internship thus far has been the positive and helpful attitude held by the vast majority of people I've come in contact with on base. Whether I'm interviewing someone, asking for help with a project, or even grabbing lunch at Subway, people are helpful, pleasant and dedicated to their work. This internship has demonstrated the importance of loving your job. I hope to can build on this experience to find my own dream job.
Now off to photograph a motorcycle safety training course (what are the chances they let me ride?).
My internship experience has flown by so far. I began working in mid-May and will finish at the beginning of August. I work up to three days a week on base and spend the remaining days working at St. Mary's (to fund my pricey Indian food habit). I was assigned NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs officer Connie Hempel as a mentor--she is in charge of the Tester newspaper, which details the activities of all tenants on the installation. As such, I've been able to work on a variety of articles, photo opportunities, and other miscellaneous projects with Connie's extensive experience and advice as a support.
The most difficult part of this internship at first was finding my way around base; I'd never driven on base before, so when I went to take photos of a logging project in some remote corner of the installation, I thought for sure I'd be lost forever. But I have no problem navigating the installation now, thanks to the diversity of projects I've been assigned, which have allowed me to meet an assortment of military, civilian and contracting personnel employed here.
The most influential facet of my internship thus far has been the positive and helpful attitude held by the vast majority of people I've come in contact with on base. Whether I'm interviewing someone, asking for help with a project, or even grabbing lunch at Subway, people are helpful, pleasant and dedicated to their work. This internship has demonstrated the importance of loving your job. I hope to can build on this experience to find my own dream job.
Now off to photograph a motorcycle safety training course (what are the chances they let me ride?).
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
10 things I've learned as an intern:
1.) Always come on time. Some of the most important events break news in the morning and not only that but coming on time helps you to better prepare yourself for punctuality in the real world. "If your 5 minutes early you're on time, if you're right on time- you're late, and if you're 5 minutes late don't even bother coming."2.) Learn how to take constructive criticism. All the adult figures at your internship are there to help you.
3.) Speak up. If you dont understand something or have questions don't hesitate to ask. Its better to ask too many questions than to not ask enough and feel completely lost.
4.) Always double, triple, and quadruple check your work. Nothing is more unprofessional than a grammar or punctuation mistake. Everyone makes mistakes but try your best to limit yours down to as little as possible.
5.) Carry a notebook or agenda. As an intern, you'll get an abundance of tasks so carrying an agenda helps you keep track of them.
6.) Pay attention to deadlines. Always try your best to finish an assignment before the deadline. Think about it this way: the earlier you finish your assigntment the more room you have for mistakes. Meaning, you'll actually have time to get it checked by someone other than yourself because you won't be finishing it at the last minute. Additionally, I like to finish things as soon as possible because if not it may slip my mind.
7.) Don't forget to take a lunch break. Sometimes you're so overwhelmed with work you forget to eat. Everyone needs those 15-30 minutes to zone out and re-energize themselves.
8.) Even when there's nothing to do- there's something to do. Pretty self-explanatory. If you don't have any work to do, someone else has work for you to do.
9.) Make friends with the other interns. You aren't on this journey alone. Talk to them, ask them questions, become friends with them. They can help you alot more than you may think.
10.) Don't stress too much. This internship is for the benefit of YOU. It can only help you.
So, I'm an intern now..
My name is Elana Wigfall and I am a Public Affairs intern for Latoya Graddy in The Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) Program Office (PMA-290). I’m from Charles County, Md. and I am an upcoming junior at Towson University.
As an intern at the Patuxent River naval air station you are exposed to a completely different side of Public Affairs. Just like the other intern Courtney mentioned, I, too, am an advertising major. The difference between her and I is instead of being under the strategic communications umbrella I am under the mass communications umbrella.
What I value most about the internship program here at Pax River, is the endless opportunities we are provided. I appreciate the opportunity to build professional relationships, I appreciate our exposure to the different aspects of public affairs, and most importantly I appreciate not being thrown out to the wolves; in a sense that I know I am not alone on this journey. With more than supportive mentors, I am not only distinguishing my distinctive writing voice but I am perfecting it to my best capability as well, with the help of my mentor.
Last week, I worked diligently on two articles that will be featured in next week’s Tester newspaper. Every Wednesday, the interns have an info meeting where we learn about something new that we can use to our advantage each week. Last week we learned about journalism ethics and how to avoid biases from your writing. We are constantly learning new versatile information here at Pax River. If it isn’t useful during our internship here I’m almost 100% sure it’s useful elsewhere. During the short duration here at my internship I’ve already been exposed to info graphics, I was able to take pictures with a canon camera of an employee appreciation picnic, and I learned how to write brief, but informational captions.
As a college student preparing to enter the real world, everything you do counts towards your future. Being an intern is all about making yourself more appealing by strengthening your strong points and weeding out your weaknesses. An internship can either work as a lesson for the future, a potential employment opportunity, or as a chance to put you one step closer to your dream job.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
My first internship
I was born and raised in St Mary's County so I have always been familiar with the base. Most of my friend's parents worked on the base, lots of my friends had internships here, and my dad started working on the base about 5 years ago. So when I got the internship to work for the Public Affairs Office here at Pax River I was ecstatic.
I currently attend West Virginia University where I study Strategic Communications which is a new major that combines advertisement and public relations. After my freshman year I realized that I truly loved this field of work and I craved for more experience.
I heard about this internship from my friend Shannon who worked here last summer and was always going on about how much she loved her internship. I knew the public affairs field was not exactly the same as what I was studying but I still thought it would be a great opportunity.
So far, I love it here. I have learned so much within the past month. Not only have I learned a lot of new skills such as doing infographics, setting up interview questions etc. but I have also learned a lot about the Navy. On my first day I was overwhelmed with all of the acronyms and different programs but after a week I really started to get the hang of it. My mentor is so supportive and helpful and I actually look forward to coming to work Monday through Thursday.
While yes, this internship is unpaid I still think it is totally worth it. The job market is tough now-a-days and the more knowledge you have, the more marketable you become. I would recommend this internship to anyone I met in the communications field.
I currently attend West Virginia University where I study Strategic Communications which is a new major that combines advertisement and public relations. After my freshman year I realized that I truly loved this field of work and I craved for more experience.
I heard about this internship from my friend Shannon who worked here last summer and was always going on about how much she loved her internship. I knew the public affairs field was not exactly the same as what I was studying but I still thought it would be a great opportunity.
So far, I love it here. I have learned so much within the past month. Not only have I learned a lot of new skills such as doing infographics, setting up interview questions etc. but I have also learned a lot about the Navy. On my first day I was overwhelmed with all of the acronyms and different programs but after a week I really started to get the hang of it. My mentor is so supportive and helpful and I actually look forward to coming to work Monday through Thursday.
While yes, this internship is unpaid I still think it is totally worth it. The job market is tough now-a-days and the more knowledge you have, the more marketable you become. I would recommend this internship to anyone I met in the communications field.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Intern Experience
The Basics:
Who: Naval Air Station, Patuxent River Public Affairs Office Interns
What: Summer Internship Program
Where: Patuxent River, Maryland
When: Summer, May – August; part-time or full-time
Why: To gain experience working in the field of public affairs at a fast-paced, busy test and development naval base. With the guidance of a Public Affairs Officer mentor, interns complete duties such as researching and writing articles, conducting interviews, developing communication plans, taking photographs, designing infographics, and updating websites while also observing and helping with media relations, social media, and visual information. The internship gives interns valuable insight into what it truly means to be a public affairs officer working with the media and a high-profile organization such as the military.
What You Should Know:
Hours: Hours are flexible; you are given the chance to work full-time or part-time depending on your schedule. The PAOs are very helpful and willing to sit down with the interns to develop specific schedules for each person.
Pay: The internship is unpaid but can be used for college credit depending on the university’s requirements.
Dress Code: Dress is normally business casual but can vary depending on what the intern will be doing that day. For example, if the intern is researching a story or taking pictures out in one of the fields, tennis shoes and jeans would be more appropriate. On the other hand, if the intern is interviewing a high-profile military official, formal business attire would be better outfit choice.
Base Access: Interns should pick up their base visitor/access passes at the Pass Office on the first day of their internship. They will be issued a laminated visitor’s badge that grants base access as well as access to various buildings on the base. However, you will also need a valid driver’s license in order to drive onto the base. The Pass Office will also provide a temporary parking pass for your vehicle that you put in the corner of the front windshield on the driver’s side.
Location: The “home base” for interns is the Visual Information Building, or Building 1354. It is located on the corner of Cedar Point Road and Saufley Road, on the left side after you cross Taxiway Alpha. You will need a car as interns will do a lot of moving around from building to building.
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