Students in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) have internships that are giving them the opportunity to report on national issues and share them on big platforms.
Journalism major Bruno Beidacki, ’18, is interning with CBS News in Washington, D.C. this semester. Beidacki works in the investigative unit, a unit of CBS News that provides research support in breaking news events to CBS Evening News and CBS This Morning. He is also working on in-depth stories of his own.
Beidacki recently wrote a story about the impact of President Donald Trump’s travel ban which was featured on cbsnews.com.
“I worked really hard on that story and encountered several problems throughout my reporting, so there were a few moments where I wasn’t sure they would run it,” said Beidacki.
He said it was rewarding when the story went live. Beidacki’s internship has given him a national platform to work on important issues right in the nation’s capital.
“Due to its proximity to dozens of organizations, I also get to talk to government officials, lobbyists and other journalists from the area, which certainly makes the experience more interesting,” said Beidacki.
Locally, journalism major Tess Cottom, ’17, is an intern with the Akron Beacon Journal. Cottom is responsible for coming up with story ideas, conducting interviews and researching and writing stories for publication. Like Beidacki, her internship has also allowed her the opportunity to write about national issues.
Cottom has had more than 200 articles published since she began interning. This fall, her story about being a first-time voter in the 2016 presidential election found its way to the front page of the Akron Beacon Journal.
“It is incredible to be writing about national issues, especially for a publication so close to home,” she said.
For Cottom, the best part of her internship has been gaining exposure to the inner workings of the newsrooms and seeing first-hand how news works.
“There are so many things to know that you can’t learn in a classroom,” said Cottom. “Working in a newsroom has given me such early insight to those things, which include both the good and bad of the industry.”
Both students agree Kent State had a significant role in preparing them for these internships.
“It was definitely helpful to take all of the journalism classes. … A lot of the times I felt like I knew what I was doing even if I had never been in that situation before,” said Beidacki.
Cottom agreed and said JMC laid the foundation for everything she needed to know about journalism.
“In hindsight, I entered this field with little knowledge about it, but the professors in JMC played a huge role in my falling in love with it,” said Cottom.
Both Beidacki and Cottom are working with industry leaders on relevant issues while building their professional network, portfolios and skill sets.
“I’m lucky I have the chance to get my voice out there so early in my career about issues that matter,” said Cottom.