Mentor
Professor
See one, do one, teach one. It’s a learning model I became aware of while working for an academic medical center. But it translates well to just about any discipline.
It’s something I put into practice as the director of the Statehouse Reporting Program at Boston University’s College of Communication. It combines classroom sessions with students on the ins and outs of government and political reporting. But it goes beyond the classroom, where they get to hear from professional journalists, legislators and experts in polling, education, business and the criminal justice system.
The bustling Massachusetts Statehouse Press Room of my day is now a shadow of its former self. Once dominated by teams from the Associated Press, United Press International and regional daily outlets, the BU program constitutes the largest collection of reporters covering the business of government as those outlets shriveled under the relentless changes that damaged the journalism business model.
Students are paired with regional news outlets across Massachusetts, covering policy issues with a focus on the local angle. They start with legislators and branch out to speak with experts, advocates and real people – translating jargon to deliver what is often sorely lacking in government and political coverage: what does this means for someone’s daily life.
Working with local editors, students not only get the basic tools they need for a first job they get published stories they can use in their job hunt. Much of what they do is good solid local reporting. Occasionally they get a major story – from the personal controversy surrounding a legislative leader to a serendipitous local top to a story about the impeachment of a president.
Hundreds of students have come through the program. They have gone on to report on local, state and federal government for outlets ranging from the Boston Globe, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Politico, Semafor, National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, the Miami Herald, the Dallas Morning News and countless other specialty print, broadcast and multimedia outlets.
Many program alumni now return to the classroom to offer their insights into the job, continuing the cycle of see one, do one, teach one.