Q&A: Nicholas Wu, Policy and Data visualization fellow @ National Journal Presentation Center

Each year, Atlantic Media hires around 40 recent graduates for its fellowship program. Fellows are placed in editorial or business positions across Atlantic Media’s four brands: The Atlantic, National Journal, Government Executive, and Quartz.

Tell us about what you do.

I’m a Presentation Center fellow at National Journal, and my role within that is mostly doing policy research and data visualization within this section of National Journal. We produce different kinds of policy analysis, data, charts, that are then distributed to all of National Journal’s members and subscribers. Sometimes it comes in Powerpoint form, sometimes it comes in Tableau, and we distribute all of these out to the membership.

What were you working on right before this interview?

Right before this, I was copy editing a map of national disaster declarations in the United States. This was for a National Journal member, or a client, since we do some custom research dives for them.

I also help handle some of our coverage of 2020 presidential contenders — so we’re tracking who’s in Iowa, when people are announcing, how much cash they have on hand, etc.

This morning I went and updated our staff tracker for the Executive Office of the President, since the Domestic Policy Council just reshuffled.

What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?

I think frankly just doing the best job you can no matter what the role is. It’s a good way to view our first jobs out of college and everything moving forward.

What led you to the fellowship?

Someone I was following on Twitter, honestly it might have been Jeff Goldberg, who tweeted out the link, and I followed that and was kind of curious.

Previously though, I do have some journalism experience from college — I was the opinion editor for our campus newspaper, The Daily Princetonian. I also took a journalism class my senior year on migration reporting, which was honestly kind of a life changing experience.

How so?

Migration was something I’ve always been interested in as the grandchild of immigrants and looking at that issue on the level of journalism and reporting, as opposed to the 50,000 foot policy level, was not really something I had considered before. I took that class, caught a journalism bug and some interest in the whole industry, and then that’s what brought me here.

What’s your dream job?

My dream job would be either the Washington Bureau Chief for a news publication or the White House Press Secretary.

What’s the thing that you’re most proud of having worked on during the fellowship so far?

Within National Journal, I’m probably most proud of all of the content we produced leading up to the 2018 midterm election. We did a lot of analysis for all of the National Journal membership on changes in congressional committees and policy shifts and legislation that might or might not move in the new Congress.

The other thing I’m most proud of here is writing a piece for The Atlantic about asylum-seeking children, specifically unaccompanied asylum-seeking children — so kids that make their way to the United States alone and then apply for asylum as they’re escaping persecution or violence in their home countries.

I actually talked to a few people who had gone through the asylum process or were still going through it, which, it’s one thing to look at a policy issue from the 50,000 foot perspective, but a completely different thing altogether to actually talk to someone who is directly affected by that issue. So I’m glad I got the chance to report and write that article and to learn along the way.

Do you have any advice for people looking for entry level jobs in media?

My advice is to talk to as many people as you can and learn from everyone around you. More people are willing to help than you’d think!