Testing the waters of journalism

Rachel Schmidt

It’s hard to believe that my spring break is almost over. During my

time off, I was fortunate enough to job shadow both Daily Pilot news

assistant Lindsay Sandham and Daily Pilot editor Tony Dodero.

On the first day, I accompanied Lindsay, who showed me around the

office -- a large office -- where I met many people, who were all

very warm and welcom- ing. After introductions, she explained what

she does, showed me the computer programs she uses, the Los Angeles

Times database, some great journalist websites and a few journalism

books that I should read.

At 11 a.m. that day, Lindsay was covering a story for an article

in the next week’s “For a good cause” section of the Daily Pilot. The

interview was conducted at Girls Inc., an organization in which they

teach both young and teenage girls how to become strong women.

Lindsay is extremely good at multi-tasking, which is an important

trait for all journalists. I tried my hand at taking notes during the

interview and quickly caught on that you definitely need to be able

to write quickly, listen carefully for good quotes, have a tape

recorder close by and learn some form of shorthand. From what I could

tell, the life of a reporter seems both interesting and fun, a great

combination in my book.

On my second day of job shadowing, editor Tony Dodero showed me

the ropes on what it is really like being an editor. I learned all

about the computer programs, such as the CCI system, which is in a

sense the “editing system.” It is absolutely mind-boggling as to what

this computer system contains -- basically everything. Around 3:15

p.m., we attended the daily budget meeting, during which the editors

put the paper together for the following three days. Normally when I

picture meetings, I picture long, boring, hours upon hours, sitting

around a long conference table. On the contrary, it was a short

meeting filled with laughter and tons of little smart remarks.

One question that keeps frequently arising is whether the

reporters and staff have scared me away from a career in journalism.

My answer is definitely not! I have learned a vast amount of

information in just two short days. For instance, I never knew how

important e-mail truly is, especially in terms of a newspaper. E-mail

is everywhere, and it is used for so many different reasons, such as

sending an article to the editor to be approved or gathering leads

for future stories. In a couple clicks, Tony easily accessed the

paper on the computer and was able to make any changes he felt

necessary.

After partaking in this wonderful experience, I have definitely

come to realize that I am going to continue to pursue a career in

journalism. Thank you Tony, Lindsay and everyone at the Daily Pilot

for giving me a great inside view into the fun and exciting world of

journalism. I will never forget this fantastic experience.

* RACHEL SCHMIDT is a Newport Harbor High student.