Our summer interns both learn from us and teach us. We’re seeking the next class now.
A smile moment during a busy news week was the profile of Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and the impact he’s already having in Year One of the post-K era.
My interest is less about Duke basketball — for the record, I’m an unaffiliated fan of all Triangle college teams — and more about the bylines.
Cue the smile.
One of the authors y’all know well: Steve Wiseman has covered Duke athletics since 2010 for The News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun. Steve is a journalist’s journalist — competitive, knowledgeable, respectful — and one of the finest people on the planet.
The other byline went to Kyle Williams, who worked on the story during his N&O sports internship this past summer. He’s now a grad student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. When the Finest People on the Planet list comes out, Kyle will be hanging out with Steve.
Our interns finished their time in the Triangle barely two months ago, but recruiting already is under way for the Class of 2023.
College basketball coaches are constantly looking for the next Grant Hill, Michael Jordan or David Thompson.
We’re searching for the next Ilana Arougheti, Chiungwei Huang, Kyle Ingram, Kayla Guo, Angelina Katsanis and Kyle Williams.
Winning with interns
N&O editor Jessica Banov does a great job of overseeing our summer internship program. We had more than 200 applicants for the Class of 2022. We recruit nationally but pay attention to students with state ties. Kyle Ingram (politics) and Angelina Katsanis (visuals) had strong summers here without needing to change addresses. Both returned to classes at UNC-Chapel Hill this fall.
Interns were mentored by veteran journalists, participated in training sessions and pursued a range of stories, from breaking news to revelatory enterprise. I hope you read Ilana Arougheti’s report on the high rate of euthansia in North Carolina animal shelters and Kayla Guo’s examination of the split over LBGTQ issues affecting the state’s United Methodist churches.
Chiungwei Huang, who has a doctorate and works as a scientist, received a media fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her enthusiasm and smarts were contagious.
If we win with interns, you win:
Reason No. 1: Local news, like every business, has changed. What remains a constant is the importance of internships in training the new generation of journalists.
Reason No. 2: We talked often with interns about building relationships, verifying information and telling stories for audiences (meaning you). These are career-life skills for most businesses.
Reason No. 3: We learned more from interns than they realized. Guess which large North Carolina city not named Charlotte got a shout-out when The New York Times looked at the best cities for Gen Z? The Triangle is growing, attracting young adults and becoming more diverse. It makes sense to listen to our twentysomethings now.
When the announcement came out that The N&O is accepting applications for 2023 summer internships, Kyle Williams tweeted:
“If I may speak: My time at the N&O was transformative in my development as a journalist. It was great working with (N&O sports editor Natalie Pierre) and the entire team of sports writers at the N&O. The whole newsroom is helpful. Apply!”
What followed was a surge of social-media praise usually reserved for fuzzy puppies chasing tennis balls.
Thanks, Kyle. You taught us:
Reason No. 4: The Golden Rule still scores.
Cue the smile one more time.
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He owns colorful socks from all three of the Triangle’s ACC schools.