Intern's woes

A college student's column in a Massachusetts paper last week lamenting how she thought she was a shoo-in for an internship at Spin magazine -- only to be rejected -- has prompted some sharp responses on Romenesko's letters page.

My own take on this: She was just a little presumptuous to begin with. What do our bloggers think?

(On another matter: Thanks for the kind note, Ernie, but you've been a big part of this, too. Let's say we do it again next year and try to get the posts up.)

Thanks, Doug

Doug:

On behalf of all us bloggers who you worked tirelessly to shape into a new media community, I'd like to thank you for your energy and foresight. The leadership you've provided by creating and nurturing A J-School Year, and in innumerable ways for the J-School in general, have garnered major "props," as the kids say, for the students and the program. Thanks for inviting me along for the ride, pal. More to come?

Cheers,

Ernie

The Best of the Best

Bloggers:

The 2005 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced: http://www.pulitzer.org/2005/2005.html. I would urge you to take a minute to read the citations for the winners and the finalists: note the newspapers that are represented (not just the elite press, mind you), the kinds of stories these journalists wrote and what the judges said about their work. You might also track down some of these pieces, take a look at the incredible service these serious journalists (the best of the best) have provided for their readers. I'm sure you'll find the work of the Pultizer winners not only instructive but inspirational.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

At least I didn't cry...

I thought the biggest feat for today would be getting through all the job fair interviews at the J-school; I was so wrong.

I was on my way to my first interview with The State, when one of the SJMC staff stopped me and said my story was in The Gamecock. I was suprised because the last story I submitted to the News editor wasn't even used. And when I looked, it was the last story I submitted.

It ran two days late and with a glaring error.

I wrote about I-Comm week at the J-school. Not the biggest breaking story ever, but one that mattered to me because this school matters to me and I knew how much time the professors put into the week-long event.

When I saw the error, I was horrified. The story listed an event that took place last year. How can people show up for an event that isn't even taking place? I was really angry, and the mistake has followed me all day.

Even Dean Bierbaurer has stopped me....and it is never good for a Dean to stop you and know your name because of an error.

I know the error was not part of my original story and it was inserted after the fact and out of my control. It just really hurts that my name ran beside a story that didn't even have basic facts correct.

In one interview, the editor asked me what was the biggest mistake I had ever made...and I just handed him the paper from today. It wasn't my mistake, but it did have my name beside of it. I can only laugh about it, and usually I cry when I get really upset. So I didn't cry, I learned that my writing will not always be my writing..even with my byline and that this is just a learning experience. It could be worse, I could have made the error on my own.

Convergence in Lawrence, KS

Bloggers,

National Public Radio broadcast on Morning Edition today (Wednesday, April 13) a report on the emergence of convergence in Lawrence, KS. Additional reports are scheduled for this week. Here's the NPR link: www.npr.org. Click on Morning Edition.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins