Internship and Careers 2004 Abstracts

Internship and Careers Interest Group

Reality Check: Do Students Have What Practitioners Want? A Field Study of Public Relations Internship Site Managers • Ashley Brown and Lisa T Fall, University of Tennessee at Knoxville; and Allison Boudreaux, Clarity Works, Knoxville, TN • This study examines the necessary skills and professional characteristics public relations intern should possess in order to be successful while on the job – as reported by site supervisors. The sample (n=109) consists of site supervisors, during the past five years, who have employed students enrolled in a large Carnegie Research I Institution located in the southeast. The conceptual framework for this study is pedagogical issues within the public relations curriculum. Implications from the results are suggested for both academicians and practitioners.

Preparing Students for a Career in Television News as the Hispanic Population Grows • Thomas A Griffiths and Micaela Choo Banks, Brigham Young University • This study explores preparation for a television news career and the study examined representation of Spanish-speaking journalists since many graduates will cover this fastest growing minority community (U.S. Census, 2003). Data were collected via a survey of 208 RTNDA members. The findings indicate (n=88, 42.3% response rate) students should focus on writing, local internships are preferable and journalists are hired by answering ads. Spanish-speaking journalists were underrepresented primarily in larger markets.

Media Convergence and Journalism Education: Preparing students for careers in a converging news Environment • Andrea Tanner and Sonya Duhé, University of South Carolina • This study provides a nationwide examination of the opinions of both television news professionals and journalism educators regarding media convergence, specifically focusing on how students should prepare for a career in television news in a converging media environment. Data revealed that more than eight of ten news directors and eight of ten educators practice/teach convergence in some manner. In addition, both educators and news directors stressed the importance of basic writing skills over media convergence skills.

<< 2004 Abstracts

Print friendly Print friendly

About Kyshia