The Summer's Best and Worst Interns
We're at the point in the summer when those spiffy interns hired back in May are starting to sport a bit of wear and tear. A select few have morphed into indispensable coffee makers, and some may have jobs lined up in September ... despite all the odds stacked against them. And then there are a few who've made news of their own.
.We're at the point in the summer when those spiffy interns hired back in May are starting to sport a bit of wear and tear. A select few have morphed into indispensable coffee makers, and some may have jobs lined up in September ... despite all the odds stacked against them. And then there are a few who've made news of their own, for better or worse. Here's a look at this year's crop of news-making interns.
Most Triumphant Interns: TV News Interns
On June 26, the Supreme Court made history in handing down a decision on the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Prop. 8. So far, that's been the biggest news story of the summer (sorry, Edward Snowden). But in order for experienced anchors like NBC's Pete Williams to get that news to the people, Williams and friends had to rely on the speed and sturdy grips of interns. Like this one:
And there was this majestic intern (in sneakers) spotted by Buzzfeed's Benny Johnson:
News agencies of all sizes depended on these interns, and they delivered—much better than they did during the Obamacare decision last year.
Lesson Learned: Come prepared, with sneakers if need be.
Most Enviable Interns: Google Interns
With the The Internship, a movie about Google interns that no one really watched or liked, the hot commodity among journalists was to find actual Google interns and document their amazing lives. We found out they can make up to $6,000 per month, as CNN explained, thus reminding every journalist alive that we should have been brushing up on our software engineering. Not only that, but these interns are actually having a good time. Earlier this month, there were reports that Google's interns in Silicon Valley were throwing midweek parties in apartments Google was paying for, gathering in hot tubs, and jay-walking — all to the chagrin of their neighbors. We're slightly jealous.
Lesson Learned: Never underestimate the value of coding. Never underestimate software engineers.
Most Embarrassing Intern: National Transportation Safety Board's "Sum Ting Wong" Intern
Interns, as we learned during the recent SCOTUS decisions, are capable of handling the news. Interns, as the NTSB taught us, are also capable of acting like dunces. Last week, we learned that an intern was behind the confirmation of the fake, "Asian-sounding" names of pilots on Asiana Flight 214. Obviously, there should have been a supervisor at KTVU to vet the phony list and avoid the whole mess. But there was no such individual. And so, on Monday, the NTSB confirmed that it had let the dunderheaded intern go.
Lesson Learned: Interns can do things that are not wise.
Intern with the Toughest Job: Channa Lloyd
Imagine being the only black woman on George Zimmerman's all-white defense team. Regardless of what Prosecutor Angela Corey said, this case was very much about race. And it couldn't have been easy for Lloyd — a legal student who worked on the Zimmerman defense for free — to defend a man whose name elicits such strong reactions.
"Black women seated with Zimmerman defense team is on wrong side of the courtroom. Wrong side of history," someone tweeted, referring to Lloyd. Lloyd is adamant that Zimmerman was not racist, telling CNN:
I would say that they're not really aware of what history is. If they think that this is a completely racial issue, I would tell him or her to go back and revisit the case. I think it's misplaced.
Lesson Learned: Interns have some of the toughest jobs out there.
The Intern with the Second-Toughest Job: Yvette Toro
It's unclear whom, exactly, Toro is interning for this summer, but apparently she was attending a press conference for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in New York City this morning and collapsed in the sweltering heat, as DNAinfo's Victoria Biekempis and Aidan Gardinier report. She was eventually identified by a staffer on Councilwoman Diana Reyna's team, the DNAinfo team reports, but also got plenty of attention from Quinn herself. DNAinfo explains that Toro's collapse even resulted in a call to police commissioner Ray Kelly:
Panicked onlookers called 911, but there was no immediate response.
That's when Quinn decided to call the city's top cop.
"I didn't really wait. I just said, 'I need an ambulance,'" Quinn said. "He said, 'Where are you?' and I told him where I was."
Lesson Learned: Stay hydrated. If you're going to collapse, collapse in front of a mayoral candidate.
Staying hydrated, work for Google, stay away from racist jokes—these interns have taught us valuable lessons in the short time they've been here. Now, only if they could find jobs after this is all through.