Last Week, I...
Had the opportunity to help cover the Pope’s visit to Washington, D.C. Of course I jumped at the chance.
Above: Journalism 101 always tells you to get down on the same level as those you’re interviewing. I spent a lot of last Wednesday crouching on the ground. It’s not as comfortable as it looks.
There were only a few snafus along the way.
First, my class schedule. Being an intern at NPR is 100% worth being off campus 3 days a week during my senior year, rushing into class from 6:30 pm to 9:00 p.m. after a long day at work and sometimes (OK, almost always) prioritizing the daily news over my philosophical musings on critical cartography -- shout out to a liberal arts degree!
But despite my careful calculations of school/work balance, the Pope didn’t plan his visit accordingly.
“Do you want to go out, talk to people at the papal parade and then write about it on Wednesday?” my boss asked.
I was about to jump on the chance -- Yes! Yes! Experience in the field! Big crowds! Sign me up! -- when she interrupted herself.
“Oh, but you have class on Wednesday ... I don’t want to get you in trouble ... “ she trailed off, looking a tad sheepish.
No WAY I was going to let my education get in the way of my learning. With some careful maneuvering, (thankfully my professor is also a political pundit for CNN who understands that news waits for no one) I was good to go. I set my phone alarm for far too early the next morning and tried to sleep.
The sun was just beginning to rise when I jumped (crawled?) my way out of bed the next morning. I was thrilled to be sent out into the field during only my second week at NPR. The independence they give interns here and the trust we get to execute creative ideas is amazing. If you want to be a reporter, you can only get so much experience in the bureau.
I cobbled together a transportation plan including shortened bus routes and walking to combat all the closed streets around the White House. I texted the Visual and Social Media interns, Jun and Vesta, to tell them I was on the way. This would be a piece of cake. I’m a senior at Georgetown University and I know the city pretty well by this point.
Enter the second problem.
They went in the east security entrance, and I went in the west. Minor detail, right?
Wrong.
The street was clear and crowds gathered on each side. From both directions, it appeared as if you could move down the entire length of Constitution Avenue, sandwiched between the Washington Monument and the White House. I pushed my way through the masses, trying to find Jun and Vesta.
Vesta was in charge of social media, where she did an incredible job showcasing the human element of storytelling via Snapchat. (You can see her post about that here!) Jun was in charge of taking a wide variety of shots; I needed him specifically for portraits of the people I interviewed. We were doing a HONY style, vox-populi esque piece and well, my iPhone wouldn’t cut it.
Above: The dream team! Jun and Vesta woke up even earlier to get sunrise photos.
Suddenly I came to a barricade. My heart raced. My mind started to spin. “Why is this here? Does this mean I can’t get to 15th? Hmmmm...@#$%!”
I turned to the closest police officer, flashing a big smile and my NPR intern badge. He didn’t budge. Even worse, he informed me that I should “probably run.”
I needed no encouragement. Out the security gates I went, jogging along the western lawn of the White House, up around the top, a few blocks past where there were no blockades, and then back down the other side. I passed people buying cheesy Pope shirts and fanatics preaching on speakerphones. I wanted to interview everyone and no one all at the same time: I had to get through those gates before 10:00 am. I had arrived at 7:30. The lines were only getting longer.
You know the end to this story -- I made it. We hit the ground running. The crowd’s vibe towards each other and towards me was incredibly peaceful, hopeful and simply happy. Almost everyone I approached wanted to share their story.
Above: Mistake #3, not wearing running shoes.
I spoke to a lot of Catholics, of course, but it wasn’t just that. You can read my article, peruse Jun’s photos and see for yourself: people came for a variety of reasons. Religion, history, community and politics all played a role. It was inspiring to see and hear from people with such different backgrounds, all sitting on the same grass waiting to see the Pope.
I couldn’t have done these interviews without my fellow interns, which brings me to another point: in my personal experience, the NPR intern culture is INCREDIBLY collaborative. We obviously all have our own career aspirations and work independently from each other the majority of the time, but this was an instance when we all came together. None of that “this is my shot” mindset came into play. We were all stoked when people started screenshotting Jun (below) almost as much as the Pope. We all helped point out interesting people and tag team interviews to get the media necessary. I held up the phone to Snapchat when tiny Vesta couldn’t see over the masses as the Pope rolled by in his popemobile. We all helped each other.
Above: The camera loves Jun and he loves the camera.
NPR interns know how to work as a team to get the job done. I should’ve known: all the previous interns leave notes for the ones who take their place. In some departments, they even leave binders full of tips and tricks. If that doesn’t foster community among radio nerds and NPR enthusiasts alike, I’m not sure what will! I knew I was part of something special when I got to my desk on Day 1 and opened a handwritten letter from my predecessor.
I’m excited to see where these kinds of opportunities and teamwork take us in the future. Covering the #popecrush craziness was a great start to my internship. I’ll always remember the first time I turned on a recorder and introduced myself as Kylie Mohr, writing a piece for NPR.
Above: This is as close as we interns will ever get to Pope Francis.
– Kylie Mohr, Digital News