Richmond Times-Dispatch interns speak about their experiences.
It's finally summer, which means a new crop of enthusiastic interns are in the newsroom. I was an intern at two news organizations as a college student, and both were invaluable to my career in journalism.
We're excited to welcome to The Times-Dispatch:
Photo intern Akash Pamarthy
A graduate of The George Washington University, he's looking to build out his sports photography portfolio.
"Experiencing life in its raw form and all the beautiful people I meet and photograph in my journey is why I love my job," he told me.
Said Pamarthy: "The Times-Dispatch has been a great place to be with the wonderful supportive staff and great guidance from my colleagues. I'm happy to be here and learning."
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She graduated from Stony Brook University on Long Island and was top editor of the campus culture magazine, The Stony Brook Press.
"Journalism is really important, especially today. I've always been fascinated by stories, and I love that journalism provides the opportunity to tell the stories of the community we live in," she said.
News reporting intern Leah Shepard
A student at Kent State University in Ohio, she's all about telling the stories of community members.
"I believe that compassion and humanity should be at the heart of journalistic craft. If the police and government won't listen to the people, a journalist will. I want to tell stories that need to be heard," she said.
Also recently joining us are two new newsroom staffers:
Jackson Didlake is a Virginia Tech graduate and content creator for J&D Productions, a YouTube channel with more than 110,000 subscribers. He's our newest sports reporter.And our new food and drink reporter is Meredith Lindemon. She's written for Southern Living, Virginia Living and Philadelphia magazines, among many others. She'll be covering the region's bustling dining scene and working alongside Chelsea Jackson, who was promoted from part-time to full-time reporter on the features desk.
They're all doing really incredible work already. Welcome aboard.
Exceptional journalism from Times-Dispatch staffers
I also want to recognize several Times-Dispatch staffers for exceptional journalism published in recent weeks.
Anna Bryson and Sean Jones produced an in-depth, two-part look at the role of poverty in segregated schools. The team, which included Karen Robinson-Jacobs of the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism unit, worked for months researching the project.Samuel B. Parker has been dogged in his investigative reporting of ongoing issues with the purchasing cards provided to certain Richmond municipal workers. His latest watchdog piece is published in the Sunday edition of The Times-Dispatch.Eric Kolenich continues to expertly navigate the complexities of the Diamond District baseball stadium and the latest hang-up with issuing bonds. His reporting has provided needed context about the project.And Em Holter and Colleen Curran chronicled how restaurant owners continue to feel the impact of headaches with Richmond's city meals tax. Their coverage was comprehensive and focused on impact.
All of these enterprising stories take old-fashioned gumshoe reporting and source-building that go beyond routine coverage. And much more is coming.
As always, we want to hear from you about the stories you'd like to see covered. Tell us about it at richmond.com/news-tip/.
Speaking of which, a reminder about our upcoming Mobile Newsroom, planned 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 15-18 at The Kitchens at Reynolds, 2500 Nine Mile Road in Richmond. Jackson, Bryson, sports reporter Savannah Reger and other staff members will be ready to hear your suggestions.
We hope to see you there.
Thanks for reading.
16 photos from The Times-Dispatch archives
Chris Coates is executive editor of The Times-Dispatch and is a senior director-local news for Lee Enterprises. Contact him at [email protected].
Chris Coates
Executive Editor and Lee Enterprises Senior Director-Local News
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