My work at Baltimore Witness as an intern has been immensely rewarding thus far. However, such an interesting and thought-provoking internship is not devoid of frustrations and challenges. For the past month at the Baltimore Witness non-profit, we have had to sift through and report retrospectively on an absolutely massive backlog of previously uncovered cases in the circuit court system of Baltimore City.
This hurdle, which our very small reporting and editing team is trying to tackle, has taught me a lot about how to navigate within a larger bureaucracy to get vital information to inform our readers in our articles. It also brought to light just how many cases, from jury trials to sentencing hearings, go completely unreported if journalists and editors don’t take the initiative to investigate missing leads and discrepancies in the court system themselves.
The past few weeks have been difficult to balance, as the average day consists of three reporters- including myself- trying to cover and produce articles on around 15 to 20 hearings and trials. While it has presented new levels of stress, jumping from courthouse to courthouse trying to play catch-up, receiving misinformation from a disorganized and understaffed circuit court system, dealing with postponements and delays for trials, and finding the right words to articulate complicated legal jargon, and so on, knowing that Baltimore Witness, though small, is the only publication covering these smaller cases incentivizes me to push through these many challenges.
I have been provided super helpful insight, advice, and support from my boss, who serves as senior-editor and a reporter herself, who reminds me how to convey a story properly, develop strong leads, follow-up on missing pieces, and balance self-care with school and reporting work.
As I’m nearing the end of my internship and preparing for the end of the semester, I’m working to find a work, school, and life balance, while I develop my reporting skills and learning more multidisciplinary skills as a history major.
The past few weeks have entailed new experiences, such as speaking with families of defendants and victims, identifying loopholes to help navigate flaws within the criminal assignment office, and learning which cases to prioritize based on limited-info given to members of the press by the criminal assignment office.
As I’m nearing the end of my internship and preparing for the end of the semester, I’m working to find a work, school, and life balance, while I develop my reporting skills and learning more multidisciplinary skills as a history major.
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