Internship and Careers Interest Group
Preparing Students for Convergent Journalism: A Nationwide Survey of Medium and Small Market TV Producers and Reporters • Andrea Tanner and Laura Smith, University of South Carolina • This nationwide survey studies the impact of convergence on reporters and producers in small and medium-sized local television markets. It examines the practices of news workers in DMAs 50 and below – markets in which journalism students usually obtain their first job. Data revealed nearly 70 percent of respondents personally perform convergent tasks and found significant differences between workers in medium versus small market newsrooms. Findings are interpreted in light of training expectations for educators.
Supervisors Speak Out: What They Think of Interns • Mary Jean Land and Valerie Andrews, Georgia College & State University • This study examines the on-site supervisors’ evaluations of mass communication interns over a five-year period. Evaluations were found to be very positive. Supervisors rate interns highly on academic preparedness and performance factors. Female interns receive higher evaluations than male interns. Supervisors report interns are strongest in their ability to work independently, enthusiasm, and ability to learn quickly. They report that interns need improvement in the amount of experience the intern has had, their writing ability, and the intern’s level of assertiveness.