Future broadcaster learns while behind the scenes at CBS Evening News
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During my semester in D.C. I interned at the CBS News Washington Bureau. While there I interned in two different departments. Primarily I interned with the CBS Evening News. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays I worked with Evening News. On Wednesdays I worked with the Special Events Unit. Each department featured different tasks that I would carry out on a daily basis although in the news world you never really know what you will be working on from day to day.
On the days that I worked with Evening News I would work in the newsroom with our producers and correspondents. Every day offered a different task as I would basically help with whatever they needed assistance on. For the most part I would log a lot of video, specifically interviews that had been done. Logging is the process of watching the tape and writing down what the people on the video are saying and keeping track of what they said at what time.
Sometimes I would help out with research on certain stories or help a producer research a topic for an upcoming story. On the more exciting days in Evening News I would actually have the opportunity to go out in the field. Two of my favorite days of that kind were when I went to Newport News, Virginia to see President Obama speak at a shipyard and when I had the opportunity to be outside the Supreme Court while the court heard arguments in the DOMA case.
Working with Special Events was a much different experience than the days with Evening News. The Special Events unit handles a lot of the logistics behind putting the president on TV and other large events such as the State of the Union and inaugurations. Much of the work that I did with Special Events was helping out my boss Kia who was one of the special events producers. I would assist her with anything that she needed help with ranging from logging video from the inauguration to putting together a booklet of possible contenders for the papacy. Special Events is a unique branch of CBS News because whenever a major event occurs or is planned the team has to work together to plan out all of the logistics and prepare for what they need to do to get the event on air.
No matter which department I worked in I was always involved in the process of putting the news on the air someway, somehow. This internship has taught me more about news production that I have ever known before. It solidifies my strong opinion that internships are really how you figure out what type of job is a good fit for you and also the best way to get the hands on experience needed to succeed. This internship has helped to confirm the fact that journalism is the industry I need to work in to be happy.
