internship spotlight
Peter Bailey-Wells
Graduation Year
May 2017
Major
Broadcast Journalism
Minor
History
Hometown
Concord, Massachusetts
Campus Activities
The Daily Illini
Alternative Spring Break
Intramural athletics
Hobbies
Reading, hiking, watching movies, playing board and card games.
Twitter
@pbaileywells
Instagram
pbaileywells
Employer
The Roanoke Times
Internship Title
Dow Jones News Fund Copy Editing intern
What were your duties?
I edited stories, wrote headlines and photo captions, compiled wire stories and worked on design furniture during daily newspaper production. I also scheduled posts on social media and updated stories on the paper's website. I was treated liked a full-time employee on the copy desk.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
I learned a lot about daily newspaper production, news values and editing techniques. I enjoyed learning new things about a new (to me) region of the country. It also helps to have a good group of people working around you, and my coworkers in Roanoke were very accommodating and friendly.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
I took on the full responsibility of a copy desk employee, meaning I occasionally made mistakes that were corrected or pointed out by other editors. I wasn't given the benefit of the doubt because I was the intern — I was expected to get things right.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
The high standard for work and the news editing class in particular. I also thought the introductory reporting classes helped me come in with a good sense of news values for things like writing crime headlines and handling anything ethical.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
It provided me with a very strong foundation for any further writing or editing I do. I think that being a better editor makes one a better writer and whether I end up writing or editing or both down the line, this summer helped my chances of doing those things well.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Don't mail it in. Take advantage of the real-world experience. You won't be able to entirely match it in the classroom.
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