Les Zaitz, editor and CEO, Salem Reporter
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The message was irresistible.
Sonia Boeger, a recent graduate of South Salem High School, wondered if we had any internships at Salem Reporter.
She worked on her high school newspaper and the Saxon yearbook. She plans to attend Evergreen State College in the fall.
“I would like to learn more about the skills it takes to be a reporter and how to be an objective journalist,” she said in a note to me.
As a journalist with more than 45 years experience in Oregon, I feel a keen responsibility to help the profession. I want to do all I can to help restore and strengthen the public’s trust in the press.
And one way I can do that is to help nurture young talent.
That’s why I responded quickly to Sonia. No, I told her, we didn’t have any intern openings. I then posed her a bargain. What if you picked a story or two to cover for Salem Reporter? In exchange, I told her, I’d personally guide her reporting and edit her copy, giving her at least a little exposure to professional standards and ethics.
I wasn’t surprised that Sonia jumped at the chance, and volunteered to report on the Salem version of Lights for Liberty, a nationwide protest over detention standards along the southern border. You’ll see her work soon.
We do have one intern on board, and it’s for the same reason – someone determined to learn how to develop professional skills. Anna Smith was persuasive in asking for a shot to help with graphics and photography at Salem Reporter this summer. I admired her persistence and interest, and we figured a way to make it work.
She’s a student at Lane Community College and we worked with LCC so Anna is earning college credit for the time in our newsroom. She treks to Salem a couple of days a week to help and to learn.
This follows on the heels of our great partnership with the student journalists at Chemeketa Community College, eager to demonstrate and sharpen their own skills.
Reporter Rachel Alexander, who covers education, has been instrumental in building these relationships and serving as a mentor, and the effort is a winner all around.
Young would-be journalists get first-rate training. We get to influence their standards and ethics. And Salem gets the benefit of coverage it otherwise wouldn’t see of events, people and places.
This all funnels to the task of giving Salem unmatched local news coverage. Our subscriber rolls grow by the day, and we could use more.
If you haven’t signed up, now’s a good time. We’re running a holiday special so you get the work of our professional team and our student helpers for $5 a month for your first three months.
If you want local news that is accurate and fair, if you want to support giving young journalists a shot at learning, support Salem Reporter. If you subscribe, share the word about our special. If you have been waiting to subscribe, please do so today [Subscribe to Salem Reporter HERE ].
We’re working hard to serve Salem and strengthen the profession. Join us, won’t you?
Les Zaitz, editor and CEO, Salem Reporter
[email protected] or @leszaitz
