Every story counts

Next to my computer screen sits a little walkie-talkie. It’s connected to the Boulder Police Department scanner, and with its constant buzzing mixed between inaudible remarks and fuzzy static, it’s obnoxious.

The one in the office doesn't really look like this. Well, maybe it does. I don't know it's been, like, a few days.

Like, really obnoxious.

But on my first day, it hardly mattered. And on my second day, didn’t matter either. You get the idea.

This is my fourth internship. Thankfully, I didn’t arrive at the Daily Camera confused or unsure of what to do, or unsure of what my surroundings would be like. No, at this point, and thanks to my experience, I don’t really feel like a stranger in a newsroom.

I don’t need a lot of guidance. I don’t need editors hounding my every move, replacing every word and constantly asking me questions. I ask the questions. I ask a lot of questions actually. So many that I usually have to stop and ask myself, do you really need to ask that?

My editor, Matt Sebastian, is an easy-going fellow. But this is a statement based on two days worth of reporting. And I want to make sure he stays easy going by impressing him with my reporting skills, writing abilities and attitude. Honestly, of those three, the one I really, truly want to impress him with and the rest of the staff at the Daily Camera is my writing.

I love to write. I really do. It’s a passion I have cultivated since my days in high school, when college was only a word and dreams consisted of whatever seemed plausible on any given day.

Now, I can rightfully call myself a writer. An amateur reporter. An aspiring journalist.

Who knew that my writing abilities would serve so much purpose?

My first assignment involved Folsom Field’s efforts to host zero-wast events. It was a simple, short story. An interesting little bit on new developments in this program. I have come to realize that any story, no matter how important or long or boring or dull or mundane, serves as an opportunity for me to grow as a writer and as a reporter.

That, and all those pesky little blog posts.