Sarah Slavick: Making the move

I've come all the way to Spokane from the University of Missouri via the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund's copy-editing program. If you're interested in copy editing, or even in well-rounded reporting, you should look into the DJNF program. Some schools don't participate on the annual test date, but you should be able to find a school nearby that would.
I've been copy editing on the news desk here, as well as designing the Opinion page and some inside news pages. Learning a new computer program has been interesting; it's funny how habits from other programs stick with you.
I'll plan to provide at least one internship tip per entry. My tip for this entry:
When you're headed to an internship, research the area as much as possible. You want to go into the newsroom with a general idea of the geography, political structure, current issues and such of the area. Request a subscription, check things out online and try talk to people in the newsroom before you've even arrived. It'll help your transition tremendously.
Spokane tidbit: If you're a fan of milk shakes and/or onion rings, go to The Onion restaurant at Riverside and Washington!

Carrie Howell: Indiana to Spokane

When I first accepted an internship in Washington, I did not fully understand what a huge and amazing decision I had made. I packed my tiny Alero six days after graduation and headed to Spokane. Despite the four-day drive across the country and leaving everything familiar, I made the best choice to be a design intern in Spokane. The mountains replaced the cornfields and cattle I used to see. The humidity was finally gone, and I got to enjoy the beautiful Northwest!

I have been here almost three months, and I start front page training tonight. I am nervous and excited at the same time. Since The Spokesman-Review is a larger newspaper, I will have to learn how to zone certain stories and switch to news design. However, my design director has been helpful in letting me test my skills in all areas.

Sam Taylor: The people we meet

I wrote a story today about the Idaho American Legion's state convention, which is coming to Post Falls Thursday through Sunday.

The story was about whether membership in the group is waning as more war veterans are dying (namely World War II veterans). But what I hardly touched on was the work of John Dunlap, the Post Falls American Legion Post 143 commander.

Dunlap is a pretty amazing individual and it's hard not to admire the man who did several tours in Korea and Vietnam. He gets hundreds of calls each day - most of them outside of Post Falls - from people seeking help. Whether it's about a soldier who passed away and someone doesn't know what to do, veterans benefits or more, he is there on the front line to help these people.

Today photojournalist Jesse Tinsley and I helped pick up the cooling unit of a new refridgerated store room outside of the Post 143 building. We placed it on the roof of the room so a technician can install it fully. John plans to use the room to store all of the food they give away to people in the community. It's not just veterans or their families. The Post Falls American Legion Post truly wants to help everyone. They have steak dinners and weekend breakfasts at low costs for anyone who wants it.

When children of veterans have birthdays, the Post Falls American Legion Post has a birthday celebration for them on a monthly basis. They gave food away to the 116th Engineer Battallion C Company soldiers' families while they spent 18 months in Iraq.

And John was instrumental in bringing the Veterans license plates to Idaho.

So it's not that hard to listen to John when he sort of goes off on a failed federal amendment that would change the constitution to say that the U.S. flag should not be desecrated. Sure - even if people have differing opinions and say that whatever someone does to the flag is free speech - John still earned the right to lament his position. He truly cares about his community and about his nation.

As a journalist, it's great to meet people like John. He is colorful and he cares about what he does. He's not a fanatic - he's merely a patriot. If I were one of the ones to disagree with him, so what? He's got an interesting story that many can appreciate, and this is what journalism is about. Telling other people's stories.

And I was glad I met him today.

Shadra Beesley: Ethics

Most newspapers have a code of ethics. Many journalism students are aware of the Society of Professional Journalists' (SPJ) code of ethics, which is a set of standard guidelines for journalists. Individual newspapers also have ethics codes. The Spokesman-Review's ethics code is one of the simplest, and one of the best, I have ever seen.
I knew I wanted to be a journalist the first day I worked in a newsroom. I knew I was on my way to being an ethical journalist the day I first heard of the Spokesman's values. Steve Smith came to the University of Oregon and gave a class on leadership. He outlined the goals the Spokesman strives for every day. I was truly inspired and overjoyed that I was going to work for a paper that had standards I could really be on board with. I knew that at the Spokesman I would not only learn about copy editing, I'd learn about adhering to high ethical standards.
My advice to aspiring interns is: Before (or after) you accept an internship, read that newspaper's code of ethics. Study it. Think about it. Make sure you are signing up for an organization that has principles you agree with. Think about what matters to you. Make sure the same things matter to the paper you're going to work for.

The Players

Shefali Kulkarni • Features intern
Shefali finished her third year at Beloit College in southern Wisconsin, but spent this last semester studying journalism and interning at the Dallas Morning News’ Washington Bureau, in Washington D.C. After she graduates next year, Shefali plans to pursue a career in print media. When she isn’t "geeking-out" over journalism, Shefali can be found supporting her chocolate addiction, taking photographs, making people laugh and cooking (her nickname is Shef).

Somer Breeze • Sports intern
Somer is a 2006 graduate of Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in English. While at WSU she was a sports reporter, copy editor and general assignment reporter for The Daily Evergreen. When she's not reporting on sports, Somer like to play, especially volleyball and softball.

Sam Taylor • Reporting intern at the Idaho bureau
Sam just got a certificate in a diploma folder claiming he graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. Sam spent the last few years working at The Argonaut, the UI student newspaper, and as president of the UI Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Sam works at the North Idaho bureau in Coeur d’Alene — his hometown — which means he gets free rent from his parents for the summer. He digs comic books, too

Parker Howell • Reporting intern for city desk
Parker comes fresh from a year of late nights as editor in chief of the Oregon Daily Emerald, the independent student newspaper at the University of Oregon. Last summer he worked as a features reporter for the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore. Howell is graduating in 2007 with a degree in news/editorial journalism. He enjoys playing guitar, basketball, photography, outdoor recreation and playing Xbox.

Jared Paben • Reporting intern
Jared, 24, is working for both the business and city desks. He walked in his graduation from the University of Oregon last spring, but he won’t have enough credits to graduate until he completes his internship here. He worked for three years at the Oregon Daily Emerald, and interned last summer as a reporter at the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Years ago, he was on staff at the weekly Cottage Grove Sentinel. Jared is from Creswell, a small town just south of Eugene. He likes to travel and has been to Europe and the Caribbean several times. He’s looking for a tennis, golfing or rock climbing buddy.

Shadra Beesley • Copy desk intern
Shadra arrives at the copy desk fresh from graduating from the University of Oregon, where she worked for the Oregon Daily Emerald. She is such a grammar nerd that one of her friends made a bad-punctuation-fighting comic book character, the Apostrophist, based on her. Check it out at www.stevenneuman.com. She loves to sing karaoke, socialize with late-night crowds and hang out at the lake. People say she's got a bit of a sarcastic streak.

Sasha Davis • Web-broadcast Intern
Sasha is going to be a senior at the University of Oregon this fall. She was hired to work with the online team on various video projects, which beats scooping ice cream like last summer. While she is down in Eugene, she interns at Chambers Production Studios as an assistant director of photography. She is the president of the National Broadcasting Society and loves rafting, hiking, painting and exploring Spokane.

Sarah Slavick • Copy desk intern
Sarah is a Dow Jones Newspaper Fund copy-editing intern. In the fall, she begins her senior year at the University of Missouri. She will be an associate editor and wire editor at the Missourian, the journalism school's daily community newspaper. Sarah has worked with CiN Weekly magazine and the Community Press in Cincinnati. Sarah plays the viola with the University Philharmonic. Sarah loves coffee and is working on finding a place in Spokane where she can become a "regular" and finish reading "The Brothers Karamazov."

Carrie Howell • Design intern
Carrie graduated from Ball State University in May 2006 and made the four-day trek from Indiana to Spokane for her internship. While at Ball State, Carrie worked for the college newspaper, worked for the Ball State Journalism Workshops office and was actively involved with SND. In the workshops office, she created numerous programs, registration packets and maps for events such as junior high and high school J-Days and summer workshops. She is excited to be in Spokane for the summer and does not want to go back to seeing cornfields every day!