Time has really been flying.
I have two more weeks left of this fellowship, and I know they’ll pass in the blink of an eye. I last posted here when I was beginning my stint at the Express Desk. I spent three weeks there, and now I’m halfway through Stint #2, in the Metro section.
The Express Desk is a unique place in the newsroom, and it’s staffed by extremely, extremely talented journalists and editors. I found it difficult to keep up! It’s not only about writing stories – it’s about anticipating readers’ interests, with help from social media monitoring tools, and then responding with speed, accuracy and creativity.
I had to brush up on my social media skills (which, as I have already established here, has never been my strong suit) and also learn the nuts and bolts of publishing stories using our content management system – all while working directly with photo editors, researchers and copy editors to see each story through to the end.
I was really impressed by the work churned out by Express Desk reporters and editors every single day. I published several stories of my own too, learning as I went along. Here are some links:
Boston Bombing Survivor to Marry the Firefighter Who Rescued Her. Feb. 2, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/us/boston-marathon-survivor-marrying-firefighter.html
In an Age of Alternative Facts, Bill Nye’s Show Brings Real Ones. Feb. 9, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/science/bill-nye-netflix.html
Transgender Doll Based on Jazz Jennings to Debut in New York. Feb. 17, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/business/transgender-doll-jazz-jennings.html
Next I moved to the Metro section, where I have been working both as a contributor and under my own byline. Here’s one that came out last week; I interviewed ten high school students who won New York Times College Scholarships, and they had some really incredible stories:
Trauma, Then Triumph: The New York Times College Scholarship Winners. March 10, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/nyregion/new-york-times-college-scholarship-winners.html
And here are a couple of the pieces I contributed to. These had me interviewing everyone from the hat-and-scarf sellers in midtown Manhattan, to Trump voters in a town I’d never heard of, called Broadus, Montana.
Some See Media bias. But ‘the Enemy’? Not Quite. Feb. 24, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/business/media/sure-the-media-is-biased-but-the-enemy-not-quite.html
A Warm Spell in February Isn’t so Sunny for Some. Feb. 24, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/nyregion/warm-weather-hurts-winter-businesses.html
In short, my work over these past six weeks has really run the gamut. Just two more weeks to go! As this fellowship wraps up I’m feeling more and more grateful to the IWMF for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ll keep you posted as things wrap up.
And as always, thanks for reading!
-Jacey