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OU’s Gaylord School of Journalism has long helped prepare students to become working journalists. Most recently, the school gave a select few students the opportunity to hone their reporting skills in perhaps the most important news market in the country, if not the world.
As the seat of the federal government, Washington is a place where great reporters aspire and are needed, and there may be no better training ground for aspiring journalists.
Libby Dean, a rising senior at OU, is one of them.
“I’ve always wanted to be a journalist,” Dean said in an interview this week.
A native Texan, Dean pursued that goal first to Norman and then to the Texas capital after being accepted into Gaylord University’s signature immersion program. She arrived in mid-January, just days after the riots.
“I spent the inauguration at Black Lives Matter Plaza,” Dean said. “I think everyone was holding their breath at that moment.”
Dean is one of five students currently participating in OU’s Gaylord News in DC program.
“Politics is something I’m very passionate about,” said Becca Yanez, a rising senior who also arrived in Washington in May.
Yanez said he wants to become a political reporter because he believes in the importance of informing his fellow citizens about government actions. She considers this opportunity important for her personal growth.
“It’s important to really get that insight and understand how DC works,” Yanez says.
Students learn how government works, as well as how cameras work, but most are already trained in electronic newsgathering. What makes this immersive program so special is that beyond the opportunity to live in Washington for a semester, you have the opportunity to get out in the field and learn by doing.
“It really forced me to step out of my comfort zone and learn all new skills,” said Caitlin Deggs, who is scheduled to graduate in December. “It helps me become a better journalist.”
International student Vi Luong, a graduate assistant at OU, lives with the students and helps them in a variety of ways, including technical support, digital media training, and an eye on scripts.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the students just to get out on the field and practice,” Luong explained.
Oklahoma native Storm Jones, a member of the program’s inaugural class, got his start in political reporting in Washington, where he and all D.C. Gaylord students learned that good journalism is valued.
“It really shows how important our work is,” Dean said, “and it made me love this job even more.”
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