Q. I am a college student who dreams of someday covering national politics for a major newspaper. To that end, I have worked continuously since high school to be a strong reporter, make good contacts and amass high-quality clips. As I prepare for my last year of school, I am beginning to think more
seriously about my first job. With my career goals in mind, I am considering applying to the Capitol Hill newspapers such as
The Hill,
Roll Call,
Congressional Quarterly and
Congress Daily. My concern, however, is that this experience would be viewed as irrelevant outside of Washington, D.C.
I've learned from an internship in D.C. that Capitol Hill is an extremely tough reporting environment. The challenges reporters face there -- extreme competition, a very fast pace, complex policy jargon, tight-lipped sources, etc. -- build skills that can be extremely valuable in any news market on any beat. But my question is ... do editors outside the Beltway see it the same way? Or will they be concerned that I can't cover real issues that concern real people? I want to position myself for an eventual D.C. job with a major newspaper, but I want to preserve my option to move closer to home if I change my mind.
Thanks,
Flustered PoliticoA. The dateline on your stories won't matter nearly as much as what follows.
If you can carve out a niche and a name in D.C., I should think you could work anywhere -- and editors would know that. I don't worry about your ability to handle the pace and the jargon, but I would beware of entry-level jobs in D.C. that keep you far away from the real stories because the veterans have them all locked down.
Most of the Washington reporters I know did not start there, but proved their mettle covering government and politics at the local and state levels.
So, either path could work for you. Good people have options. Pursue opportunities inside and outside the Beltway and hope you wind up in a position where you get to choose among offers. A job-hunting strategy focused exclusively on D.C. is a classic case of putting all your resumes in one basket.
Joe's book on internships:
"Breaking In: The JobsPage.com Guide to Newspaper Internships."
Coming Monday: She is running out of room for all her clips from a 20-year career. What is the best way to save copies of them?
