Annie Ourso
Class of 2016
Internship: Summer of 2015
Area of study: Mass Communication—print journalism
Career plans: Continue working as a journalist when I graduate, whether it be reporting for a newspaper or writing for a magazine or other media, or pursue political communication
Catching up: Annie is completing her final semester of graduate school at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication, with one class and a final project standing between her and graduation. She’s also a graduate assistant for a professor, and does freelance writing on the side.
Why Business Report? I wanted to explore options for journalists in Baton Rouge. I had experience in newspapers, but not other types of publications. Two faculty members at LSU recommended the Business Report to me, so I did some research and liked what I found. As a news magazine, Business Report differs from traditional newspapers but is still widely regarded as a trusted news source in Baton Rouge. I was intrigued by its focused approach on business and by the magazine format, which offers more stylistic freedom in its writing.
Most impressive internship project? I’m proud of the stories I wrote that weren’t your typical news pieces, like my “They weren’t born here” story, which featured community leaders who aren’t from Louisiana with quotes on why they came here. It also addressed issues with the state’s high native-born population and what can be done to bring in outside talent. I’m also proud of the articles I wrote using public records. I had never done a records request before so I learned how at Business Report. My favorite was when I used public records to fact check former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s claim that he cut the state payroll by 30,000 employees and the budget by 26%—which turned out to be a bit inflated.
How did your internship help you grow as a journalist? It broadened my writing skills by pushing me to be more innovative and to work outside of traditional news writing. It also gave me experience in writing for specific beats—business and politics—and provided the opportunity to work with talented journalists and editors.
Deanna Narveson
Class of 2016
Internship: Summer of 2015
Area of study: Mass Communication, journalism
Career plans: Reporter or digital producer for a newspaper or radio station
Catching up: Deanna is now in her last semester of school at LSU. She manages a staff of reporters and digital producers as editor of LSUNow.com, the website for LSU’s Daily Reveille, 91.1 KLSU and Tiger TV. She’s also a member of the Manship School News Service Statehouse Bureau covering the Louisiana Legislature.
Why Business Report/Daily Report? I wanted the experience of working at a daily publication. My past two internship experiences were not in journalism, and I knew I needed to get my feet wet and practice writing news on deadline.
Most impressive internship project? I created a data interactive for the Daily Report that showed how much East Baton Rouge Parish spends on insurance payouts for car accidents.
How did your internship help you grow as a journalist? I learned how to better balance time between working on more long term projects and short term stories. My interviewing and writing skills greatly improved. I learned new ways to look for story ideas and how important persistence is in chasing down information. Every time one of the editors or other writers at Daily Report gave me a piece of advice on reporting/writing or I made a mistake and was corrected I wrote it on a Post-it Note and stuck it where I could see it while I was working. By the end of the summer I had about 50 notes that I now share with my staff in student media at LSU.
Key takeaways? Take every experience as a chance to learn and do better. Just start somewhere when you feel stuck. Always ask sources for more specific information. Keep trying no matter what, and always be on the lookout for story ideas.
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