Convention paper: Feeling like a real Washington correspondent

Posted: April 19, 2000

Each year, a diverse group of journalism students is selected to staff The ASNE Reporter, the daily newspaper for the convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The 2002 convention newspaper staff of 18 included six Scholars: Warisa Chulindra, Tara Dowd, Antonio Carlos Gilb, Jessi Todden, Blanca Torres and Lisa Woods. Here are their thoughts about the experience:

Lisa Woods, Summer 2001 Scholar:

Code Red. That was the plan the editors handed us on day one of ASNE. It was our plan of operation in case of a terrorist attack. Thank goodness we didn't need it. A water main break at the convention hotel caused all the emergency we could handle in one week.

Aside from all the excitement -- chasing down convention members bounding between two hotels, basically feeling like CIA operatives -- being at ASNE exposed me to high-level editing and put me on stories that demanded keen reporting and short, tight writing. The most surreal aspect of the week was having to pass the White House everyday en route to the newsroom. I felt like a real Washington correspondent.

One of the most memorable aspects of the week was the time editors spent talking to you, editing you, advising and encouraging you. I left with a knapsack full of enthusiasm and a greater sense of security in my craft.

Tara B. Dowd, Summer 2001 Scholar:

For me, The ASNE Reporter was a place where we got to be journalists for journalists. The best part of the trip was getting to network -- not with the editors, as in American Society of Newspaper Editors, but with peers who are talented and destined for the editor jobs.

Antonio Carlos Gilb, Summer 2000 Scholar:

It was wonderful, the whole experience. I left Washington with both a rejuvenated enthusiasm for journalism and a renewed optimism for my career. The ASNE Reporter gave me the opportunity to meet other young journalists of color, and to work with editors from The Boston Globe, the San Jose Mercury News and other major papers. I made new friendships in both the professional and student staff. I caught up with some old friends I hadn't seen in months and years. When we learned the hotel had flooded, we had to immediately evacuate our newsroom. We scurried to get reaction and dig up any new developments. I was able to find ASNE president Tim McGuire and interview him. As a business journalist-in-training, my personal highlight was writing a story about a panel on the Enron scandal.

Jessi Todden, Fall 2001 Scholar:

I've wanted to make movies my whole life, so I haven't really been thinking of a post-graduation newspaper career. But because of my week at ASNE, for one moment I reconsidered. That's a lot. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still going to make movies. But for the opportunity to work with all those people again ... newspapers are all of a sudden, tempting.

Blanca Torres, Summer '01 Scholar:

Working on The Reporter gave me a much-needed journalism refreshment. I had forgotten that newsrooms can be fun and that editors can be as well. My colleagues were supportive and inspirational just by being good journalists. I loved the fact that we truly worked as a team, recognizing that we each played different roles while maintaining unity and camaraderie. Oh yes -- the flood was interesting, too.

Warisa Chulindra, Summer 2000 Scholar:

The best part of my week in Washington was my fellow students and the professional staff working on The Reporter. Growing up in the Midwest, I don't often encounter students and editors of color. The ASNE Reporter reminded me that I am not alone. It inspired me to strive to be a better journalist. Something else that really stands out in mind was seeing the new ASNE leadership: Diane McFarlin is the third woman to lead ASNE. Next year will be the first Asian American, the following year, the first African-American woman, and finally, a Hispanic man. It gives me hope. Maybe their perspectives will make a difference in minority recruitment and retention in newsrooms. Maybe, in the next few years, real progress can be made.

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