Upon graduation from Mississippi Valley State University later this spring, Josh King hopes to go into a career in journalism.
An internship at the Commonwealth will help him get there, he said.
“I want to be a news anchor/reporter. I know this will help me out and improve my writing skills,” said King, a 21-year-old senior from Greenville studying mass communication.
King’s first day as an intern for the newspaper was Wednesday. He’ll work two days a week and, just like the paper’s two staff writers, will cover a variety of subjects, while continuing to take classes at MVSU.
His internship is a requirement for one of his mass communication courses.
King already has some writing experience, having written stories on MVSU softball and basketball games that were published on the university’s website.
“With me just coming in, sports being the only articles that I worked on, I want to venture out into all fields,” such as breaking news and crime, he said. “I want to expand my horizons.”
He intends to apply to The Delta News, the Greenville-based broadcast news station, after he graduates.
“I’m a talker. I want to be a news anchor,” he said.
King said he initially intended to major in criminal justice and pursue a legal career. However, after seeing the time required to become an attorney, including three years of law school and passing the bar exam, he looked for another major that would allow him to enter the workforce immediately and use his communication skills.
He found that a major in mass communication will allow him “to take the information that I learned and give it out to the people who don’t know,” he said.
Tim Kalich, the Commonwealth’s editor and publisher, said it was unusual for the paper to have an intern other than during the summer, but he was open to the idea after being contacted by King.
“Mississippi Valley State has a great idea in insisting that its communications students get some real-world experience,” Kalich said. “We are happy to be able to partner this year in that effort.”
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
