Jared Ransom
Jared Ransom
- Major
- Journalism and Mass Communication
- Company
- WHO-TV
Jared Ransom's Internship
Duties
During my internship at WHO-TV, I generated story ideas, wrote copy for news broadcasts, edited stories and assisted field reporters with on-site broadcasts. I was also able to shadow reporters to learn about their individual reporting styles.
WHO-TV encourages students to “make the internship a personal experience.” I was able to do this by making sure that I had the opportunity to learn about each aspect of the station (producing, reporting, anchoring, etc). I was able to do something different each day to gain a new experience.
Most Memorable Experience
My most memorable experience was helping to cover damage caused by several F3 tornados during a June storm. I was able to assist a reporter and videographer as they covered a family farm and a local business that were destroyed.
After collecting the needed information, the reporter put together a memorable feature that was the lead story for the 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00 newscasts. Through this experience, I was able to gain a greater understanding about the information to look for in a great story.
Special Contribution
In early July, WHO-TV aired a three-day special about the benefits and costs of Governor Culver’s I-Jobs program. At the time, the station knew that there was more information to come about the program.
Once the new information was released, the news director asked me to “crunch the numbers” to see if I could find any new information. I reported my findings to the political anchor, and we wrote a story that went in that night’s broadcast as a continuation of the previous special.
Advice to Future Interns
Look for ways to contribute each day. It can be very difficult to keep up with the pace of the newsroom, but it is important to do whatever you can to contribute. If you don’t, you won’t be given any work. Interns that can step up on day one and fully participate in the daily operations of the station impress the staff at WHO-TV. Offering your skills to projects that are underway and pitching ideas are two ways to show people that you are serious about being a journalist.