Editor’s Note: We asked former HT intern Sophia Goedert for her viewpoint on local journalism as she finishes out her first semester at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where she is studying for a bachelor of fine arts degree in photojournalism.
Her photos of rural ranch life were recently chosen for a D.C. exhibit; stay tuned for more on that in the coming weeks!
Above, former HT intern Sophia Goedert’s snap of the Lincoln Memorial. Goedert just finished out her first semester studying photojournalism at George Washington University in D.C.
I began interning for the Herald Times in 2019 and continued to work there up until I left for college this August. I started out writing in my column before venturing on to cover events and interviewing local business owners in Meeker for feature stories. My time with the HT has taught me so much about not only journalism, but also technology related skills and has also greatly enhanced my people skills. I was able to experience many of the behind the scenes activities, due to its small size, that I know will be harder to find later on in my career. It’s a great atmosphere in the office and I thoroughly enjoyed all the time I spent there.
My time at the HT also showed me how important community journalism is to Rio Blanco County. So many people benefit from the reporting that’s done every week. Small businesses are able to promote themselves through advertisements or features with the knowledge that people are guaranteed to see it. The community also gets to experience unbiased reporting on important topics that impact them daily. It’s so refreshing to go out into the community and hear people talking about something I or someone else in the office wrote about because then you knew that they actually took the time to read the paper, and that’s awesome.
By Sophia Goedert – Special to the Herald Times
