<![CDATA[Brittney Gathen - Media Internship Blog]]>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 20:03:33 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Blog 4-Internship Wrap-up]]>Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:39:20 GMThttp://www.brittneygathen.com/media-internship-blog/blog-4-internship-wrap-up My Life without Journalism: A Reflection about Being a Journalism Intern.

During some moments of self-doubt or frustration, I’ve often wondered what my life would be like if I hadn’t decided to pursue journalism.

However, I think the truth of the matter is that without journalism, I would probably be missing one of the most interesting learning experiences in my life. Being an intern at “The Tri-State Defender” has provided me with the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone, meet interesting people, and grow as an individual. Through being an intern, I’ve been able to travel to Washington, D.C., meet notable people, such as those who work with NNPA, work on my writing skills, and gain hands-on experience of what it might be like to work as a journalist.

I’ve learned that although it is good to plan for things, sometimes things don’t always go according to plan or go the way you imagine they’re going to go. Sometimes, you might plan to get a lot of things done in a day (contact people, conduct interviews, etc.), and things may come up (people may not respond right away, people may not be available for interviews right away, other tasks in your life might take longer than expected and you may not get around to doing what you initially planned.) However, you still have to learn to get things done in a timely manner to the best of your ability and meet your deadlines. You have to learn to properly prioritize tasks, despite unpredictable situations.

My advice for future interns is to stay focused, be prepared and plan ahead to the best of their abilities, but if things don’t go according to plan, they should adjust as needed and try to do the best they can  do to accomplish their tasks.

]]><![CDATA[Blog 3- Internship Update-Brittney Gathen]]>Wed, 01 Apr 2015 05:43:36 GMThttp://www.brittneygathen.com/media-internship-blog/blog-3-internship-update-brittney-gathenPictureGeorge Curry, Editor-in-Chief of NNPA delivers a workshop to us NNPA interns at an orientation session at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center.



     My experience being an intern with The Tri-State Defender has been very positive and productive so far. My most recent and interesting experience recently was getting to go to Washington, D.C. for Black Press Week (Wed., March 25-Fri., March 27). as a part of an internship program with NNPA (the National Newspaper Publisher Association). During the internship, I got to go to different events such as luncheons at the National Press Club and the NNPA Torch Awards, which are given to figures of national prominence that are high achievers who impact the advancement of communities and the country. The torch is the symbol of the black press providing the light to freedom. 
                                        Wednesday, March 25, 2015














   

    On the first night of the Black Press week, the other NNPA newspaper interns and I attended an orientation session at the Washington Marriot at Metro Center, where we stayed during Black Press Week. George Curry, the president of NNPA gave us a very useful workshop on interviewing. He urged us to really dig deep, ask the right questions, and not be afraid to probe to get the answers we want. Later we attended a welcome reception hosted by NNPA Foundation chair Mary Denson.


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Me with George Curry, the editor-in-chief of NNPA.
PictureMe with Mary Denson, the chair of the NNPA foundation.
                                           














PictureNNPA Media Lab Rededication at Howard University.
                                    



                                 Thursday, March 26, 2015



















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Congresswoman Maxine Waters

  The second day of Black Press Week was busier. The other NNPA interns and I attended: the NNPA Media Lab Rededication at the Howard University School of Communications; the Gallery of Distinguished Black Publishers Enshrinement Ceremony at the Howard University Moorland-Spingarn Library; the Fifth Annual Stateswomen for Justice Luncheon Hosted by Hazel Trice Edney, the editor/publisher Trice Edney Newswire (where Congresswoman Maxine Waters was the keynote speaker); a Wells Fargo Financial Education/Career Development workshop; and then the Torch Awards, which were at the Washington  Marriott at Metro Center.

            The Torch Awards honorees were: Newsmaker of the Year- Benjamin Crump, esquire, who’s worked with the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown; Jennifer S. Carroll, the former lieutenant governor of Florida; Jeff Friday, the founder & CEO of Film Life, Inc.; B. Doyle Mitchell, the president & CEO of Industrial Bank; and Bishop Hezekiah Walker, a gospel artist and the founder of Hezekiah Walker Ministries. The emcee for the Torch Awards was Marcus Washington,  a News Anchor and reporter for WJZ Eyewitness News/Baltimore and a graduate of the University of Memphis.

            As part of the NNPA Internship program, we had to partner with a fellow intern to write two stories- one on a female publisher that was honored at the Stateswomen of Justice Luncheon and the other on a Torch Award recipient. My partner and I, Dominique King, who is an intern at Capital Outlook in Florida, interviewed Natalie Cole, the publisher of Our Weekly- the largest distributing “audited” newspaper in Southern California. We also interviewed Benjamin Crump.



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Torch Award Recipients (l-r) Hezekiah Walker, Benjamin Crump, Jennifer Carroll, B. Doyle Mitchell, Jeff Friday.
     


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Me with Marcus Washington, anchor, WJZ Eyewitness News, Baltimore and graduate of the University of Memphis.





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Me and Former Lt. Gov. of Florida Jennifer Carroll


                                               Friday, March 27, 2015

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Black Press and the Black Pulpit panel discussion. (l-r) Panelists include Dr. Lewis Brogdon, Dr. Estrelda Alexander, Dr. Johnny B. Hill, and Jackie Hampton.

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State of the Black Press Panel Discussion

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    Friday was the last day of Black Press week, and we only attended two events. The first event we attended was the Black Press and the Black Pulpit Breakfast: Legacy on the Line-The Future of Black America. During this event, there was a panel discussion on HIV/AIDS, and the importance of people, particularly religious leaders discussing HIV/AIDS. Panelists included Dr. Estrelda Alexander, founder of William Seymour College; Dr. Louis Brogdon, assistant professor of religion at Claflin University, Dr. Johnny B. Hill,  interim chair and associate professor of philosophy and religion, and Jackkie Hampton, publisher of the Mississippi Link.
            The second event we attended was a luncheon at the National Press Club , were there was a discussion on the state of the black press. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, the President and CEO of NNPA, served as the moderator, and panelists included: George Curry, Editor-In-Chief, NNPA News Service, Dr. Hildred Rochon of Howard University Hospital; Charles O’Neal of the Texas Association of African-American Chambers of Commerce; Dr Lezli Baskerville, the president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher  Education; Cloves Campbell, Jr., chairman of NNPA and publisher of the Arizona Informant; and E.R. Shipp, the associate professor and journalist in resident at Morgan State University.
     Overall, attending Black Press Week was a positive experience for me, and I gained an increased appreciation and awareness of the power of the black press.


]]><![CDATA[Blog 2-Inspired by Leonard Pitts, Jr.]]>Thu, 05 Mar 2015 00:14:23 GMThttp://www.brittneygathen.com/media-internship-blog/blog-2-inspired-by-leonard-pitts-jr    Overall, I felt that the 4th Annual Norm Brewer First Amendment Lecture was very informative and inspiring.

       What I learned from Leonard Pitts was the importance of being knowledgeable of and grateful for one’s rights as an American citizen. During the lecture, Pitts emphasized the fact that many Americans lack a true understanding of their rights. He also seemed to emphasize the point that Americans take their rights for granted.

        It was interesting to learn that a report found that although a large percentage of high school students reported taking some sort of civics or government course, a very low percentage of those students had a true understanding of civics and government.

I also learned about the importance of fighting to preserve the first amendment, even though it may not always be easy or beneficial on a personal level. I thought Pitts’ take on there being no “call me out my name” exemption was interesting. He said that people could “call him out of his name” and criticize his faith and family, but he would say that they were within their first amendment rights (and then he would use his own first amendment rights to hold them accountable). He even went so far as to say that he would defend somebody who was in danger of being penalized for what they said.

As an aspiring journalist, I think that freedom of speech is important to the communication field, because I think that journalists need to be free to hold people accountable, shed light on something that might otherwise be covered up, highlight key issues, etc., without being penalized by a government body, in order for a true democracy to work and be worth something.



]]><![CDATA[Blog 1: Introductory Blog]]>Wed, 28 Jan 2015 22:27:18 GMThttp://www.brittneygathen.com/media-internship-blog/blog-1-introductory-blog     My name is Brittney Gathen. I'm a sophomore journalism student, and I'm interning at The Tri-State Defender,which is a weekly, African-American newspaper in Memphis. As an intern, I'm responsible for interviewing sources, doing any necessary research and writing articles. I'm learning to apply what I've learned in my journalism classes- researching, interviewing, writing articles, turning articles in on time, etc. I hope to learn how to better myself as a journalist by working on my interviewing and writing skills and  becoming more versatile as a journalist.
     I typically intern at The Tri-State Defender, Mondays and Fridays, depending on my availability and schedule, from around 1:30-5 p.m. During my time in the TSD office, I work on any assignment that is given to me when I come in or continue working on an assignment I already had. If I finish my assignment, I'll turn it in before I leave. If not, I'll work on it at home and make sure to turn it in by the deadline. In the past, I've also covered certain events in Memphis for the paper, and I plan to continue to do so in the future. 
      I take classes Monday-Friday (I'm taking six classes, 18 hours this semester). When I'm not doing homework, I enjoy reading, writing, watching television, etc. 
      My long term goals include going to graduate school and working as a successful journalist.]]>