Reaquaintence

I never, ever thought I would say this. In my semester away, I tried not to think about reporting. I tried to pretend like the summer had never happened. I tried to do just about everything BUT be actively involved with journalism. Which is why it’s so shocking now. I missed it.

When I stepped into my seat as the convergence editor at the Missourian yesterday, it was like a comfortable, familiar weight settled in over my shoulders, reminiscent of a blanket. A tattered, weathered, raggedy old blanket. One that you always consider throwing out but you keep around for sentimental value because it’s been with you for so long. Things I thought forgotten came back in a rush. I know it was Hannah’s story, but I was resisting the urge to call sources, and sprint into the field every second I was in the chair. It was an incredible difficult story to cover, as well, which challenged us to make something, effectively, out of nothing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t think of a better story for the evening. Possibly fortunately, it gave Hannah a chance to be in that situation.

We called complete strangers, we ran around to different bars and restaurants to collect information and, later, audio. I gave her advice on how to build her story, she made it, and I tweaked it for her in the end. My radio editing skills rushed back into my ears and finger as I forced the program to do my bidding for the volume, which had been inexpertly recorded. And the deadline only helped to further the rush.

It was like taking a hit of something. It was a complete metaphysical exhilaration, which I’m not entirely sure how to describe. I don’t know if that means I genuinely enjoy what I’m training to do, or if I’m a masochist, but it gave me a lot of hope for my future. I also realized, in all the whirlwind that was our shift together, that I really enjoyed helping Hannah make her story. Not just the reporting aspect, but the editing and the guiding. I don’t know what that means, and I assume it’s something I’ll need to figure out, but for now, it’s enough of a subject for me to reflect on as I go to sleep at night.

I look forward to my next editing shift. I will try not to take such a large part in the reporting this time, give my reporter more of a chance to practice. But I am excited. Very, very excited.