Students interning at Ohio newspapers add voices to the Opinion pages
Media, Journalism, and Film chair says ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú trains students to think critically about the world and then communicate ideas
Students interning at Ohio newspapers add voices to the Opinion pages
Two ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University students interning at The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Columbus Dispatch this summer had their writing appear on the Opinion pages — something the chair of Media, Journalism, and Film said spotlights how ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú trains students to think critically about their world and then communicate their ideas.
Meredith Perkins, a senior with a double major in Diplomacy and Global Politics and English and minors in History and French, was the Enquirer’s first summer Opinion intern. She has written several opinion pieces, including
Riley Crabtree, an opinion writer during her content media internship at the Dispatch, focused on growing up in Appalachia that mentioned JD Vance’s book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” She is a junior with a double major in Political Science and Journalism.
Crabtree is involved in Associated Student Government, University Senate, The ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Student newspaper, and Model UN at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú.
She also serves as a College of Arts and Science ambassador.
“The columns Meredith and Riley produced this summer are wonderful examples of that learning in action. Meredith's two-part series on the attitudes of young voters leading up to the November election provides important insight into how young Americans are thinking about politics,” said Rosemary Pennington, chair and associate professor of Media, Journalism, and Film. “It provides substance to a critically important conversation that is too often framed by sensational rhetoric."
She added, “Riley's column about her Appalachian heritage exemplifies the ways we hope students connect their lived experiences with the wider world.”
Perkins and Crabtree have shown themselves to be excellent writers who can communicate complicated ideas in a clear, straightforward manner, Pennington said.
“By having their work published in two major newspapers, the rest of Ohio (and potential future employers) get to see that as well.”
Perkins, a Presidential Fellow at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, also has had opinion pieces published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and The ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Student, where her column won the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists “Best College Opinion Writing” award for 2024 this summer.