New voices, new skills: Interns and fellows at MPR
Mar 27, 2023
Learning is something we deeply value at MPR. Our sustained commitment to learning new ways to share untold stories and perspectives, to reach more people with our content, and to add depth to our storytelling, is what sets MPR apart from other services.
One way we keep learning and innovating is through the relationships we forge with our interns and fellows. We have a rich history of interns building their careers at our organization, and sometimes moving on to make remarkable contributions to media elsewhere. Interns aspire to a wide range of roles from reporters and producers, to hosts and operations staff.
Catapulting careers
Internships can truly catapult a career. I know from personal experience. While working on my graduate degree in journalism at Northwestern University, I attended the National Association of Black Journalists Convention, and recruiters there strongly advised me to get an internship or two under my belt before graduating. So, despite concerns raised by my program’s director, I took a six-month leave from the program to do two internships. The first, at the Orange County Register, was arranged by the school, and the second, at the Star Tribune, came as a result of my applying to 19 internships across the country. The internships bolstered my skills, built my connections to more experienced journalists, and they deepened my conviction that I wanted to be a journalist. Moreover, both internships led to great job offers.
In those days, job searches looked very different. There was no widely available internet. Instead, a binder in the school library held a huge pile of internship opportunities, listing their deadlines and criteria. I reviewed scores of internship applications and hard copies of newspapers for job listings. I’m a New York native, but I was willing to go almost anywhere that would help me take the next step in my career. So, I treated the internship search like a class in which I wanted to earn an A. I’m grateful that my search led me to Minnesota 30 years ago this summer.
Finding leaders for the future of media
Stephanie Curtis, MPR News’ Director of Programming, arrived at the station as an intern (watch her story here). I am so glad she stayed; she’s grown in her leadership and influence on our work. In addition to ensuring the strength and depth of shows like Morning Edition, MPR News with Angela Davis, Minnesota Now, and All Things Considered, she supervises interns in the newsroom.
All of us find our interns and fellows remarkable for the ways they teach and inspire the rest of us, especially when it comes to working in evolving social media spaces. They add vibrancy to our offerings, such as getting us up to speed on more effectively using TikTok to expand our reach. They are a crucial link to reaching younger, diverse audiences and guide us to our future members.
Four examples of interns who learned their craft at MPR and moved on to make remarkable contributions to the field include:
Julian Green, a former intern with The Current, is now content director of Carbon Sound, our new hip-hop and R&B stream. Here’s short video about his current work.
Ines Guanchez, a former digital marketing intern is now an assistant digital producer with YourClassical.
Jarrett Dang, a former Marketplace Morning Report intern, joined the Marketplace New York staff after graduating from Seton Hall last spring.
Jeffrey Bissoy connected with Sasha Aslanian and became an APM Reports fellow in 2017. At APMG, he worked for MPR News and The Current. He later worked for Sahan Journal, founded The Plugged App, and contributed at On Being and Crooked Media. He is now an Executive Producer at Meadowlark Media.
Power of funding
Here at MPR, we are serious about creating pathways for the journalists and public media leaders of the future. One thing that sets us apart is the generous funding we’ve received for the MPR Newsroom Diversity Fellow and other interns. It’s donors who believe in creating these learning pathways that make all the difference. A recent $3 million gift from the WEM Foundation assures we are able to support our internship program into the future. Such funding gives us stability at a time when others struggle to finance the way to new talent.
Talent is the lifeblood of creative organizations. We are so fortunate to be adding new voices and perspectives to our team. We’re deepening our connections all around the state. It is because of the generosity of members and donors we can make these investments and strengthen our mission—creating the future of public media by amplifying voices to inform, include, and inspire.
Thank you!
Duchesne Drew
President, Minnesota Public Radio
About Duchesne Drew
Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President of American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and Marketplace. Additionally, he oversees YourClassical MPR as a part of Minnesota Public Radio.