If I look at my internship as journalism training, working at The Finder hasn’t been an
extraordinary experience . Rather working at The Finder feels like working at Eugene’s The
Register-Guard earlier this summer, but on a slightly larger scale. So far my time at The Finder has been full of the basics: find a story or be assigned one by our editor, work out the angle to the story, go to where we can find it, do the groundwork and interview people, and then report back and write the story. Sure, I am working in a city I have never previously visited and in a new and unfamiliar culture, and yes I am still learning the ins and outs of newspaper work, but in terms of basic skills, it’s not all that different from the states.

I feel that the similarities are good, however. The fact that The Finder and The Register-
Guard experiences overlap makes me feel secure in my choice of profession. Journalists, no
matter their nationality or background, are characters to the core and passionate about two
things: storytelling and the truth. My colleagues at The Finder are all great people who are
interested in doing their best work. Specifically, Thelma is an inquisitive young woman who wants to keep digging to the heart of the story. It’s fun going out on assignment with her and working the different angles as we walk around interviewing and investigating. That and her mastery of networking and connecting with people makes me want to hone my own skills. She’s the perfect mix of polite and persistent that makes sure we get where we need to go and doesn’t get us turned away at the door.

Selorm and I talk pop culture between stories, but he also is a brilliant wordsmith with a
careful eye for editing. While I am not used to having someone on my shoulder as I am typing, I don’t feel stressed when Selorm is helping me edit. He’s proof that if you practice enough and read enough books, you can be an excellent writer. And finally Mr. Darko is a strong anchor for the team and true journalist. “Find the story, find the facts, people want the truth from us, and we have a duty to go find the truth,” he told
the newsroom.

We have talks about the importance of the truth and how we should pursue stories with intent and objectivity. The fact that I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by passionate journalists that care about their stories and their work in both the United States and Ghana has truly meant more to me than I could have ever learned in classrooms. These experiences have reinforced the idea that I am in the right career, I’m going to be working with people that have the same mindset, I’ll be doing work that I believe in with people who believe in what we do. I’ve never been happier to work in a newsroom, no matter what size the paper is or where it is.