The Indiana Publisher

Page 4 May 2020 2020 Pulliam interns begin newspaper jobs Always check your junk email folder. Three months ago I didn't have an internship and I was frantically applying every- where I could find. One morning after I moved back home from school due to COVID-19, I got an email from someone at the Hoosier State Press Association. I had applied for their internship in January and, to be honest, I forgot about it. The email told me to respond if I was accept- ing or declining the internship. I've never typed so fast in my life. As fast as I could type I accepted and apologized for not responding sooner. I didn't know I was offered the intern- ship so I looked back into my junk folder and sure enough, there it was. Hi, my name is Jacob Musselman, like the apple- sauce if you've ever had that. I am the HSPA summer Pulliam intern at The News Sun. I hope that I can give you a little insight into who I am so if you see me you'll know a little about me. I was born in Indianapolis but grew up in Lawrenceburg, a suburb of Cincinnati. In high school, I didn't do anything related to journalism. I never read a newspaper, and never ever thought I would work at one. Going into my freshman year of college I declared as a criminal justice major. I think it was partially because I liked "Blue Bloods," "Alaska State Troopers" and "Live PD." But on my first day of freshman orientation, I met somebody from the journalism department and they showed me all the department had to offer. Needless to say, I was hooked. During my freshman year, I was in an intro journalism class and my professor, a 15-year veteran at CNN, told my class that if we wanted to get a job in the journalism field that we NEED to get involved. As antisocial as I am, I forced myself to go to a freshman club fair. I knew what orga- nization I had to talk to and as soon as it opened, I found them as soon as I could, found out when the first meeting was and the rest is history. I joined The Ball State Daily News, Ball State's stu- dent-run newspaper in January 2019. Originally I joined as a news reporter but after my first few stories, I transitioned to a photog- rapher and eventually the photo editor. So if you see me anywhere in the community, I'll probably have my camera with me, so don't be scared. My first week here has been fun. My first day I drove around and "got lost with a camera" as Steve, my editor says, which is what I love to do because that's how you find those fun, different stories. In my opinion, jump- ing into the field is the best way to learn. The journalism world is in weird times right now, in the age of COVID-19 and nothing being open makes it a little scary, but I'm ready to get out and see what all Kendallville has to offer. Jacob Musselman is a sum- mer intern for KPC Media Group. He'll be a junior when he returns to school at Ball State University this fall. Starting my HSPA summer internship Musselman The 2020 class of Eugene S. Pulliam interns began their summer jobs in May at newspapers across the state. The paid internship program is named in honor of the late publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News and is offered through the Hoosier State Press Association Foundation. Each year, nine students are selected to participate. In addition to the hands-on experience, HSPA provides a mentor to assist students. This year, Indiana University Professor of Practice Tom French is serving as the Pulliam mentor. French is a Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist who worked for 30 years at the Tampa Bay Times. He is a graduate of Indiana University and was editor of his college paper, the Indiana Daily Student at IU. "I want to be here to help however I can," French told the interns during an introductory video chat. French said he'll be checking in regularly with the students and asked them to give him an update every week. "Some days are going to go better than others and that's OK,: French said. "That's how it works." He advised the new interns to be reliable, be consistent, deliver what you promise, be accurate — be obses- sive about accuracy. The group members talked about their goals and brainstormed story ideas and coverage surrounding the coronavi- rus pandemic. French discussed stories that he found powerful and encouraged students to keep an eye out for good work. "If we read work that we enjoy this summer or we admire, let's share it with each other," French said. This year's interns and their destination newspapers are: Joey Bowling, Indiana University, The Corydon Democrat; Evan Gerike, Indiana University, The Times NWI; Demi Lawrence, Ball State University, The Herald Bulletin (Anderson); Jacob Musselman, Ball State University, The News Sun (Kendallville); Samantha Nower, Ball State University, The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne); Haley Pritchett, Franklin College, The Shelbyville News; Joseph Schroeder, Indiana University, Brown County Democrat; Lennie Stahhlak, Miami University, The Lebanon Reporter; and Phillip Steinmetz, Indiana University, The Herald-Times (Bloomington). "If we read work that we enjoy this summer or we admire, let's share it with each other." — Tom French, Indiana University professor of practice, 2020 Pulliam Internship mentor Indiana University Professor of Practice Tom French leads a video chat with college students embarking on their Pulliam newspaper internships.

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