A Chat with O’Brien Reporting Intern Chris Miller
By Rachel Ryan
“The fact that the internship is a year and not just a semester really lets you dig deep into important topics that affect thousands of people.”
Graduate student Chris Miller is delving deep into the lack of affordable internet access in cities and rural areas. He’s on the reporting team led by O’Brien Fellow and reporter Rick Barrett of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. We chatted with Chris, a student in the Diederich College of Communication Master’s program, to get the inside scoop on his work alongside O’Brien reporting intern Kelli Arseneau.
Do you have a favorite memory so far from your time reporting with O’Brien?
Chris: So far, my favorite memory of O’Brien was getting our first article published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This was great as it was within the first few weeks of the internship, so it gave me the confidence to keep moving forward.
As a graduate student, you have the opportunity to do a professional project as a part of your graduation requirements. I understand you are working on that through O’Brien. What is your project?
Chris: I chose to use some of my work from O’Brien to create a professional project. This project is based on urban internet access, which I am reporting on for my internship. The project consists of a website and podcast discussing my reporting strategy and information.
How has the O’Brien internship helped you personally or professionally as an aspiring journalist?
Chris: I have gotten to see how the journalistic sausage is made. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at how long-term and short-term projects are created has been a great experience. It helps me appreciate the daily news that I read and watch much more. Professionally speaking, I am constantly working with a talented and experienced journalist who gives me advice and feedback.
Would you recommend the O’Brien internship to graduate students?
Chris: I would recommend the O’Brien program because it gives you the opportunity to learn about an issue and bring change. Public service journalism is an essential component of society. There are many issues that people may not be aware of and O’Brien lets you demonstrate your multimedia skills to bring those issues to light.
What is your favorite part of being a journalist?
Chris: My favorite part of being a journalist is seeing how your community works. As a journalist you will most likely be doing local stories at first. Whether you’re contacting schools, community centers, government offices, or citizens you will have many chances to learn how your community operates at different scales.
What are your career goals after graduation and O’Brien?
Chris: After completing my graduate career and O’Brien internship I plan to move back to my hometown of Cleveland, OH. I am looking to work in some sort of content creation position. I am not sure exactly but whether my future career is in media or something along the lines of internal communication, I feel prepared to succeed.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
To learn more about the student experience at the O’Brien Fellowship, visit our website.
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