Tommy Wood in the Greeley Tribune newsroom. (courtesy of Tommy Wood)
The CU Independent is participating in the national Save Student Newsrooms campaign. As part of the campaign, we are sharing testimonials from former CU Independent writers this week on how the CUI prepared them for the world of professional journalism. Today, Tommy Wood shares his story:
It’s hard to learn journalism in a classroom.
Journalism is one of those things you can only become good at by doing, and the beauty of student publications like the CU Independent is that they help student journalists learn their craft by doing it.
Want to be a sportswriter? Go cover a game. Think you’re a columnist? Write an opinion piece, but be damn sure it’s thoroughly researched. Want to tell the stories of CU’s underrepresented minorities? Do it. The CUI gives aspiring journalists the real-world experience they need to succeed in their field, and those prospective reporters are performing a vital public service.
The CUI tells stories that I don’t think other outlets can. It’s series about immigrant students at CU, its in-depth investigation into CU’s superficial efforts to increase diversity, are only possible because its talented, dedicated reporters were so immersed in campus life. During the on-campus Republican presidential candidate debate in 2015, the CUI brought all hands on-deck and published more than 50 articles and videos in a single day. It assigned a reporter to every candidate, and there were a lot back then — remember Carly Fiorina? Marco Rubio? Those were the days.
During my two and a half years at the CUI, it seemed like the only things we couldn’t do were the things we hadn’t thought of yet. Despite a minuscule budget, despite an administration and a faculty that were apathetic at best, hostile at worst, we constantly experimented with new ways of storytelling. We never said “no” to an idea without trying it first.
And the CUI, which during my time had three female editors-in-chief, three female sports editors and a majority-female opinion staff, was far more diverse than the average newsroom. I’m proud it gave people those opportunities.
I have no idea where I’d be without those crazy, try-anything days at the CUI, without the constant late nights in the Armory newsroom, without my CUI coworkers who didn’t get paid and didn’t get class credit but were there because they wanted to be.
That all shaped me into the journalist I am and it put me in the position I’m in. I’ve worked at a newspaper for two years as one of the lucky few journalism graduates who got hired straight from college. That wouldn’t have happened without my internships, and I wouldn’t have gotten those internships without the CUI. But more importantly, I wouldn’t be any good at what I do without the CUI.
Tomorrow’s journalists have to start somewhere. Student news is as good a place as any.
Tommy Wood is a former editor in chief of the CU Independent. He currently covers public education for The Greeley Tribune, and you can find him on Twitter at @woodstein72.
