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Byrd soars in broadcast internship
By Andrea Yeutter
Collegian Freelancer
Rubbing elbows
with figures such as National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice
and Secretary of State Colin Powell are just part of her daily
routine.
Sophomore Rebekah Byrd, who spent
last summer interning with BET and CBS, is spending this semester
at the Leadership Institute's Center for Print and Broadcast
Media in Arlington, Va.
Last March the Leadership Institute
held a two-day seminar on broadcast journalism, which Byrd flew
to Washington, D.C. to attend.
"After attending the seminar
I was convinced that I wanted to enter the liberal media as
a successful conservative reporter," she said.
Byrd then began searching for
summer internships, and, after a very competitive application
process, landed herself two in Washington with BET Nightly News
and CBS Evening News, Washington Bureau.
While working on the CBS Sunday
morning program, Face of the Nation, Byrd met many important
figures in American politics, including Rice, Powell and Democratic
Senator John Carey, whom she interviewed.
"That interview was really
hard for me to do, because the objective they gave me was to
get him to bash [President George W.] Bush, which is against
what I believe," Byrd said.
Byrd said network news is disproportionately
liberal because reporters with ties to left wing management
get into the business more often than conservatives who do not
have these connections.
"Until the newsroom becomes
diversified, you're always going to have that liberal slant,"
she said. "That's why I want
to be a conservative that goes into management-so I can make
a difference."
Byrd said this desire prompted
her to intern at the Leadership Institute's journalism school.
The Leadership Institute, founded
by Morton Blackwell, a former member of the Reagan administration,
was created to develop conservative leaders among youth.
The Center for Print and Broadcast
Media, where Byrd interns, specifically focuses on training
conservative politicians and spokesmen to get their point across
in the media despite its liberal slant.
At the Center, Byrd has a number
of different tasks. Her primary job is to run a studio that
coaches conservatives in effective TV techniques.
Byrd also helps film the Conservative
Roundtable, a news show hosted by Howard Phillips, as well as
occasionally editing projects for the Council on National Policy.
Byrd's newest undertaking is her
intern project, which is to produce the conservative news show
"Shocking America," which airs in the Arlington area.
In addition to their other duties,
interns at the Leadership Institute are required to attend weekly
seminars on public policy and economics. Byrd said these seminars
have been wonderful tools in expanding her knowledge of how
our country functions and she enjoys the hands-on experience
while applying this knowledge in the newsroom.
One of the perks of this program
is the daily lunch with a conservative celebrity. Recently Byrd
dined with Edwin Meese, who served as attorney general under
Ronald Reagan.
"I have a greater respect
for Hillsdale because all these conservative leaders that I
meet talk about what a great school it is," she said.
In January, Byrd plans to return
to Hillsdale where she will complete degrees in speech and political
science before heading back to Washington to infiltrate the
liberal media's ranks.
This semester Byrd is the only
Hillsdale student enrolled in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship
Program. WHIP, headed by political science professor Mickey
Craig, is an opportunity for students to gain academic credit
for interning in Washington.
Craig said student involvement
in WHIP has declined significantly over the past few years,
but he said he hopes that a new scholarship will spark renewed
interest in the program.
New this year is the Carol Youngbrooke
Foundation Scholarship, which provides a $1,000 grant to students
in the WHIP program in addition to other aid received.
"The point of this program is for you to go and see how
our political system works today, and hopefully, during the
course of your internship, see how Congress works," Craig
said. "Incidentally, you may also figure out whether or
not you want to do this when you graduate."
This prediction held true for
senior Dustin Mann, who interned with Michigan Representative
Thaddeus McCotter this summer.
"Before interning on the
Hill, I had no idea just how much influence congressional staffers
have on our government," he said. "Some of [the congressmen]
joke that our country is being run by a bunch of 25-year-olds
and they aren't kidding."
One such staffer is 2003 Hillsdale
graduate Caleb Overdorff, whose internship this summer with
Michigan Representative Candice Miller resulted in a job as
Miller's scheduler.
Internships at a congressional
office are the typical position of a WHIP student, but other
options abound. Craig explained that any internship meeting
his approval could result in credit through the program.
There is certainly no shortage
of opportunities for those who want to make a positive impact
on America's political scene.
"As conservatives we cannot
keep complaining and complaining about the liberal path our
country has taken until we are willing to go in ourselves and
make changes," Byrd said.
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Photo courtesy of Rebekah Byrd
Rebekah Byrd spent last
summer interning with BET and CBS and is currently an intern
for the Leadership Institute's Center for Print and Broadcast
Media. Byrd plans to become involved in journalism after she
graduates.
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