Upper School Journalists visit the Washington Post
November 7, 2014
When the elevator doors opened, seventeen jaws dropped, like kids in a candy store. Or rather, like seventeen student journalists at The Washington Post.
Upper School student journalists visited the Post today for a behind-the-scenes look at a major national publication, learning about jobs ranging from editorial writing to interactive graphic design.
Guided by Graphics Editor and former Talon Editor-in-Chief Emily Chow (‘08), the students moved through the fifth and fourth floors of the Post, squeezing past cubicles and conference rooms. Chow began working at the Post upon graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.
Chow greeted her colleagues on the tour’s route, winding from the editorial department to PostTV. The full newsroom signaled the Post’s positive flux. The publication has expanded after a recent acquisition by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos that reinforced the existing staff with additional online and print writers.
Students experienced this generational breadth with 10-year editorial board writer and former foreign correspondent Lee Hockstader, as well as James Downie, the Digital Opinions Editor, in the editorial department’s conference room. Hockstader and Downie discussed the parallel management structures of the Post’s news and editorial pages and answered questions on opinion writing and coverage changes between their generations.
“It’s like the separation of church and state,” said Hockstader.
According to them, a staff of editors and writers exclusively generate content for the editorial pages in order to maintain impartiality. Hockstader also stressed the editorial content’s “independent newspaper” status.
“We are not in the Democrats’ camp, and we are not in the Republicans’ camp,” Hockstader said. “Our readers gloss over the ‘independent newspaper’ tag but it’s really important.”
Downie, a recent graduate of Columbia University, spoke to the group about the future of opinion writing and blogging in the advent of new media forms.
“There’s so many outlets forming every day looking for content,” Downie said. “I like to think quality rises to the top. That’s what I like about this industry.”
Harker Aquila Editor-in-Chief Alyssa Amick (12) commented on her impression of the Post and the message being conveyed.
“I think a message the journalists there emphasized was that it’s important to learn by doing,” Alyssa said. “They talked about how skill comes with experience, and if you do something it’s important to finish it and you can look back and learn from what you did to make your future work better.”
Talon Business and PDA Editor Alex Youn (10) counted the visit as an experience to observe real-world journalists.
“I was able to watch and talk to experienced reporters and editors who all share a common passion for journalism,” Alex said.
Throughout the trip, advisor Ellen Austin and chaperones Lauri Vaughan and Joshua Martinez accompanied the student journalists. Martinez commented on his original expectations surrounding the Post.
“I was really curious about The Washington Post after it was acquired by [Jeff] Bezos. Our tour illustrated the shift toward multimedia that I expected, but the passion for maintaining the character and history of the newspaper was something I discovered,” Martinez said.
Vasudha Rengarajan (12), Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila, enjoyed the exposure and believes that computer science is an integral aspect of online journalism.
“As a prospective college student, I would say that it was enlightening to see a different kind of profession you could do with [computer science] and integrating journalism which are two of my passions,” Vasudha said. “It was cool to see so many people working together from different fields and different backgrounds and different areas of expertise coming together to tell stories.”
Reporter Lauren Russell (9), a first-time conference attendee, cited the best part of the experience as the general aura of the Post.
“It was a different experience there, seeing all of the people and all the different sections and how many people it took to help make the whole paper and online a success,” Lauren said. “The entire atmosphere at the Washington Post was positive, friendly and colorful.”
Chow concluded the tour by recounting her experiences as a student journalist and talking to the staff about her background in graphics. At the end of the tour, the staff gifted Chow a Giants’ baseball.
“The main thing I tell Harker students is to have fun. Life doesn’t always need that much thought,” she said.
“Just stay curious.”
After one and one-half hours at the Post, the tour came to a close. The students returned to the elevators, minds full of memories, graphics and interviews to chew on.