This week's advice is short and simple - step out of your comfort zone!
We all have interests that are unique to us and influence what we gravitate towards writing about. While it's nice to know what you like, it's important to try new things. If you don't branch out and see what else you might be interested in you could be selling yourself short to a future employer. With every new endeavor you'll either figure out that you don't like (which is OK) or that you do and can try to incorporate this new interest into your work. Usually different topics/interests overlap in ways you would have never thought of had you not attempted to write a business story when you usually gravitate toward health, or trying an environmental story when you usually write about sports. Anything is possible, and if you have the tiniest bit of experience in a multitude of areas (whether you like them all or not) they can help shape your future work. Facing the fear of failing at something new or not being as good at it as you are other things is fine, but letting it completely hold you back isn't. Trying new things will only make you stronger!
This week, I worked with the breaking/trending news team. I learned how they find stories, how they are generally written, and how they differ from regular stories. It was my first time doing break news and I didn't know what to expect, but that was honestly part of the fun! A reporter briefly trained me on what to do and partnered herself with me for the week to make sure I knew what I was doing. She would also go over edits with me and explain why some things worked or didn't work. I was open-minded about trying a new area of reporting and I ended up really enjoying it. After working with that team for a bit, I walked away with a new source for finding story ideas, a new way to get information, and a better understanding of the different parts of a newsroom. Whether I go on to do that more often doesn't matter because even just one week of working on breaking/trending news gave me new skills that I can now use in other ways.
As I have said before, the best way to make the most of your internship is to take advantage of everything that comes your way. You never know how it could help you down the line.