Working general assignment shifts has really allowed me to work under tight deadlines and write stories quickly.

Previously, I interned at Modern Luxury, a national magazine company, where the deadlines were much longer. And it’s the same at Vox Magazine where I currently contribute to as well.

The difference is interesting in how the processes in creating a breaking news story vs. a longer-form story play out.

Last week on my general assignment shift, I was sent to the MU School of Music to cover an announcement of a donation by longtime professor Dr. Michael Budds. I interviewed him and MU Chancellor Cartwright about the 4 million-dollar donation.

What I’ve learned is that, when on breaking news, you do not have time to transcribe an entire interview. That simply takes too much time. You have to be able to listen during the interview and pick out what is most important as you are reporting. What has helped me is writing down a strong quote when I hear one and writing down the time stamp of that quote. This helps me go back quickly and ensure the quote is verbatim.