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!
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