Intern leaves

This summer, I was the intern at The Star News.

Throughout the weeks, I wrote a variety of articles: the dairy technology section, government meeting recaps, school board meeting recaps, feature stories, and personal stories. I enjoyed covering a wide breadth of subjects, although the variety routinely posed the challenge of having to simultaneously learn about a topic and report on it.

My favorite articles I wrote nullified this struggle by appealing to common understanding; they were stories about people. These stories established a what happened only as it pertained to why it mattered to someone. Articles like this represented people of the community— their thoughts, feelings, reflections— rather than merely depicting motions.

At first, writing for an audience intimidated me, causing me to fret over every word and lament any typos that made it to print. I was scared people would think my work was bad, so I painstakingly paid attention to details in an attempt to proactively fend off judgment. Those detail-oriented habits didn’t change throughout the summer, but my motivation to continue them did. I started to scrutinize my work because I cared about it. I wanted it to be good.

In a moment that represented my shift in perspective, a friend of mine picked up the newspaper, glanced at an article I wrote, said, “This is really boring,” and tossed it aside. Although rude, he was right. Content, such as a newspaper, is produced for the reader. Consequently, assessment of its quality is subjective. I embraced this fact over the summer, not as a fatalistic reason to give up effort, but as a reality that I would try my best in spite of.

Even as I meticulously worked to produce the best articles I could, each Thursday, when the published paper was in my hands, there was a clarity about the work I contributed. I transitioned from the writer to the reader, judging what I’d spent my days on in a matter of seconds. Those moments provided “should haves” and “would haves” that challenged me to be better. I’m happy to have worked a job where my passion for the work enabled me to view my shortcomings as my next goal.

Ironically, many of my newspaper articles were about technology, the advancements that “make newspapers obsolete.” As evidenced by my working here, I disagree with sentiments about newspaper and local news extinction that often times are coupled with the winds of change. Increasingly, there is a sense of inevitability regarding sweeping, expedited changes. Those assumptions take the form of thinking this is what is next, and that is what is gone. I’m not antitechnology or anti-change, but as the train of changes speeds up from 25 miles per hour to 1,000 miles per hour, people should consider which cars they’d like to ride in. The trouble is that the cars become indiscernible with their speed, and the blaring noises make it hard to think.

Even so, this summer has given me an opportunity to consider issues in the context of a single community, not the endless void of the internet. Local news is paramount to remind people of issues in their community. As the train of change speeds up and becomes exhausts people to the point of detachment, it’s valuable to dabble in the tractor of local news.

As I’m reflecting on my time here, I can see that I will remember this summer as a reader instead of the writer. From a glance, it was a good summer. Upon further inspection, that inclination holds true.

I am very thankful to have worked at The Star News. Highest on the list of people who have helped me this summer is Brian Wilson, editor of the paper. Aside from his offbeat and at times jarring humor, Brian’s most striking feature is his dedication to the newspaper. He has worked at the Star News for 28 years, and during that time, I’d guess his cynicism and resolve to provide quality local news have jointly deepened. Thank you, Brian.

As a final note, some articles I wrote will be published after I am back at college. My last day of work was August 23.

If there is any issue with the content published under my name, please direct all complaints to Brian Wilson. Any positive comments about my work can also be given to Brian Wilson, but unlike complaints, please request that he forwards them to me.

INTERN’S

C ORNER Saskatoon Damm