The past couple of days have been a whirlwind of triumphs and challenges as I make my foray into audio journalism through the NextGenRadio project.
This journey put my journalism skills to the test. After I submitted my initial application, I was tasked with going into the community and finding a story that needed to be told – an overwhelming challenge for me. But after a flurry of emails and a few days of patiently waiting, I finally found someone.
Unfortunately, I was whisked away to college in Ohio before the program started, which meant I would have to complete the week-long project remotely. I’ll admit the most difficult part of the week was learning how to use Adobe Audition because it forced me to slow down and reflect on how I interviewed people to create a powerful narrative for readers and listeners.
Audition would only work if I was careful and steady, diligently refining my script to match the roughly four minute audio I was splicing together from an almost hour-long interview. I also realized I need to learn how to better control an interview. Although frustrating at moments, when the audio story finally came together, I realized I had done something entirely new; I had learned a new and powerful way to tell stories.
Each step of the way, I was astounded by the professionalism of and dedication of my fellow journalists, audio editors, and illustrators, who helped me put the project together as I worked in my dorm room hundreds of miles away. My mentor Elizabeth and my managing editor Traci, stuck with me every step of the way. With this being my first real journalism internship, I am amazed by the dedication and commitment to excellence they showed me.
