Of course, some things have been as I expected...but the news business is different than most other organizations. You'll find the fast paced exchange of ideas at many offices, but in the news room it has been amazing to me to see how quickly ideas are pieced together and then carried out...I don't know if many people think about all the steps involved in producing new stories every single day, several times a day each day of the week....So I'd like to share the process as I've witnessed it....something that was just an idea or an event that happened on a given morning has to be examined from several angles and approved by producers before it even goes forward (and there are many ideas that get shelved)...next, research has to be conducted. Who needs to be contacted? CAN they even be reached? Can they be reached BEFORE the show goes on in X-number of hours? If they can, where will the reporters meet them? Next, you go to the site with a photojournalist...you've got to make sure you ask questions that will allow your interviewee to express their views in such a way that will be understandable to your audience. At that point, the photojournalist gets all the angles of the scene the reporter is at, and reporters tape the part of the story they are in. Then, the piece must be edited back at the station. After, producers write it into the script. Then it goes on air. And the difference between this job and other jobs is that you have to make all this happen within the day (typically...sometimes longer depending on the type of story), and then thousands of people immediately view the finished product on their t.v.s! It's a fascinating cycle. It's consistantly different every day though. Monday, I was on assignment at a press conference announcing that a one-arm golf tournament would be held in the city. Tuesday, I talked with people on the street about the bus fare increases. Today, I was in a semi-truck (for the first time, I might add...) while we filmed a story involving big rigs. Each day has been different-but exciting...I look forward to writing more about my experiences here each week until I finish my internship!