My View From Inside a Modern Newsroom


November 9, 2017

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By Rachel Geffner, JMC '18

 

This semester I am working as a content and analytics intern on the Politico Focus team.

Politico Focus is an in-house creative studio responsible for working with clients to ideate, produce and track the performance of branded content. The team functions like a small startup within the larger organization.

Along with basic copywriting, editing and Photoshop responsibilities, it is my responsibility to track and analyze the performance of all Politico Focus content and recommend ways to optimize future content.

Working with tools like Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics every day at Politico has been an amazing way to gain experience with the data side of digital journalism – a keystone in current media organizations.

One of my favorite things about the role is combining creativity with logic and numbers. SMPA courses like Research Methods have been instrumental in broadening my understanding of the media beyond traditional journalism.

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Politico office
Photo courtesy of Politico

Even from my short time at Politico, it is clear they are a cutting-edge and forward-thinking organization.

Their sleek window-filled offices overlook the National Mall connecting the modern workspace of an innovative company to the tradition of American government and watchdog journalism.

Through both my SMPA courses and my experience at Politico, I’ve learned first-hand that today’s journalists are not just writers. They are analysts, videographers, coders, social media experts and so much more.

, full_html, This semester I am working as a content and analytics intern on the Politico Focus team.