Love what you do & do what you love.

I have been given a fantastic opportunity to shadow Savannah's newspaper, the Savannah Morning News. I contacted them a month or so ago about shadowing and they agreed. I went today from 9:30 until about 12:30 and tomorrow I'll go in around 3:30 for a couple of hours.

Today, I met and talked to the managing editor whom I had been corresponding with for quite some time. I found out all kinds of information about not only the Savannah Morning News, but also the other publications they put out. I got to see the behind-the-scenes of the internet process, like changing stories out on the webpage and adding content to Twitter and Facebook. I already knew this but I know many people don't, but there are actually people that their sole job responsibility is to update their publication's websites. I also got to spend quite a bit of time with the metro editor, who is over all of the reporters' tasks from any given beat like education, government, police, etc. He showed me the press and where they put the inserts in the papers that I know we all look for (hello, coupons!) and all that cool stuff. It was great. Walking through the printing room where the big printing press is, all you can spell is paper and ink--and it's incredibly noisy.

The newsroom itself was calm and quiet. You could hear a few people on the phones, but otherwise, peaceful. I learned that many, well most, reporters don't even come into the office until 2:30 or so and that's why I'm going in later tomorrow so I can talk to them since I mostly talked to editors today.

If you know me well enough, you know that I want to move to Savannah after I graduate (if I have a job there) and the main newspaper I'm wanting a job with is the Savannah Morning News. That's a huge reason why I was so happy they responded to my inquiry about shadowing. The journalism industry  has had job cutbacks like most everywhere else, so I can only cross my fingers they'll be hiring next year for a position I could potentially have.

Ps: The building they're in is HUGE and gorgeous. Two of Savannah's news stations are on the third floor and the newspaper is the rest of the building, mostly on the second floor.