Camtastic Newsletter March 2025
From Carbondale to the Capitol: SIU Journalism Student Gets Inside Look at State Government
By Jasmine Thompson
Journey Short, a junior journalism major at Southern Illinois University, has always been driven to find the truth and tell meaningful stories. But this semester, through a program with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, she’s getting a new perspective inside the Illinois Capitol. She’s learning how the government makes policies and seeing firsthand how the media and public officials interact. The experience also is opening her eyes to new career possibilities.
I'm also a journalism student at SIU, and I called Journey a few weeks ago to learn more about the program and how students can get involved.
"First, you go through the interview, and then you wait to see if you got the position. Right now, I'm one of a few interns — I'm working for the House of Representatives, while two others are in the Senate. I also have another person with me in the House," Short said.
The application process involves submitting an application to the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, going through an interview, and then waiting to hear back about acceptance.
"After an interview, if you find out you got it, there’s a list of things to take care of. For housing, I had to arrange where to live, pack my things, and move to Springfield," Journey said.
She found housing at the University of Illinois Springfield and is living on campus during her semester of working in the Illinois Capitol.
Journey is now a few months into her Springfield internship, and she said it’s been a whirlwind — challenging, rewarding and nonstop.
"I typically start my day pretty early, especially on session days when I need to be at the Capitol by 8:15 a.m. The sessions can get quite hectic; there was even a time I was there until 8:30 p.m. That’s not the latest I’ve stayed either—there have been days I’ve left at 3 a.m. or 5 a.m., and that’s just part of the routine," Short told me. "After waking up and getting ready, my first task usually involves gathering news clips. Each day, I check for the latest updates on all the representatives and what they're involved in, something I do on a 24-hour cycle to stay current.”
“Once that’s done, my day can take different turns depending on what needs to be addressed. I might work on a press release, participate in training or observe the sessions to see the reps in action. The variety keeps it interesting, but the most thrilling moments are when I get to watch the session unfold or help with a press release. Sitting in on conferences and assisting with speechwriting has been particularly rewarding."
Though Journey remains passionate about journalism, she believes this experience is essential to her career development.
“It's important for journalism students to be well-versed in more than one thing. Like, that's why we do broadcast and radio,” she said about the push within the journalism department to train students across platforms. “To be able to take what I've learned from my journalism classes and apply it in different fields, I think it's been really cool to see.”
During her internship, she worked on various projects about Illinois government. Education policy is her favorite topic to research.
She's often asked to write press releases and policy briefs, which has allowed her to improve her writing. Journey mentioned that she also helped with articles for the Camtastic newsletter before moving to Springfield for the spring semester, which helped prepare her for the work. Now, she's building on those skills even more.
“I used to do stuff for the newsletter, too,” she said. “So when I would get feedback, it’s been like a similar process. I think it's really been helping with my writing skills.”
Though she’s currently working for the government rather than in a role as a journalist covering it, Journey said a lot of the skills she uses are similar.
"When they propose a new deal or something significant occurs in their district, we cover that,” she said of the legislators she assists. “We provide quotes for them, and they just approve and sign off on it. So, basically, we're capturing what journalists typically report on. I think that's a fair way to describe it."
Journey’s plans for her future continue to evolve. She’s interested in pursuing law school after earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Her ultimate goal is to work as an entertainment lawyer.
She believes her myriad experiences will help her reach her goals. She encourages other students to contact the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and make plans to apply.
"I would just go for it," is her advice to anyone interested.
“I know that sounds pretty cheesy, but I almost didn't apply for the internship because I was scared of getting rejected,” she said. “So, I think it's important to put yourself out there and really believe in yourself and believe that you can do it."
By Jasmine Thompson
Journey Short, a junior journalism major at Southern Illinois University, has always been driven to find the truth and tell meaningful stories. But this semester, through a program with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, she’s getting a new perspective inside the Illinois Capitol. She’s learning how the government makes policies and seeing firsthand how the media and public officials interact. The experience also is opening her eyes to new career possibilities.I'm also a journalism student at SIU, and I called Journey a few weeks ago to learn more about the program and how students can get involved. "First, you go through the interview, and then you wait to see if you got the position. Right now, I'm one of a few interns — I'm working for the House of Representatives, while two others are in the Senate. I also have another person with me in the House," Short said.
The application process involves submitting an application to the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, going through an interview, and then waiting to hear back about acceptance.
"After an interview, if you find out you got it, there’s a list of things to take care of. For housing, I had to arrange where to live, pack my things, and move to Springfield," Journey said.
She found housing at the University of Illinois Springfield and is living on campus during her semester of working in the Illinois Capitol.
Journey is now a few months into her Springfield internship, and she said it’s been a whirlwind — challenging, rewarding and nonstop.
"I typically start my day pretty early, especially on session days when I need to be at the Capitol by 8:15 a.m. The sessions can get quite hectic; there was even a time I was there until 8:30 p.m. That’s not the latest I’ve stayed either—there have been days I’ve left at 3 a.m. or 5 a.m., and that’s just part of the routine," Short told me. "After waking up and getting ready, my first task usually involves gathering news clips. Each day, I check for the latest updates on all the representatives and what they're involved in, something I do on a 24-hour cycle to stay current.”
“Once that’s done, my day can take different turns depending on what needs to be addressed. I might work on a press release, participate in training or observe the sessions to see the reps in action. The variety keeps it interesting, but the most thrilling moments are when I get to watch the session unfold or help with a press release. Sitting in on conferences and assisting with speechwriting has been particularly rewarding."
Though Journey remains passionate about journalism, she believes this experience is essential to her career development.
“It's important for journalism students to be well-versed in more than one thing. Like, that's why we do broadcast and radio,” she said about the push within the journalism department to train students across platforms. “To be able to take what I've learned from my journalism classes and apply it in different fields, I think it's been really cool to see.”
During her internship, she worked on various projects about Illinois government. Education policy is her favorite topic to research.
She's often asked to write press releases and policy briefs, which has allowed her to improve her writing. Journey mentioned that she also helped with articles for the Camtastic newsletter before moving to Springfield for the spring semester, which helped prepare her for the work. Now, she's building on those skills even more.
“I used to do stuff for the newsletter, too,” she said. “So when I would get feedback, it’s been like a similar process. I think it's really been helping with my writing skills.”
Though she’s currently working for the government rather than in a role as a journalist covering it, Journey said a lot of the skills she uses are similar.
"When they propose a new deal or something significant occurs in their district, we cover that,” she said of the legislators she assists. “We provide quotes for them, and they just approve and sign off on it. So, basically, we're capturing what journalists typically report on. I think that's a fair way to describe it."
Journey’s plans for her future continue to evolve. She’s interested in pursuing law school after earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Her ultimate goal is to work as an entertainment lawyer.
She believes her myriad experiences will help her reach her goals. She encourages other students to contact the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and make plans to apply.
"I would just go for it," is her advice to anyone interested.
“I know that sounds pretty cheesy, but I almost didn't apply for the internship because I was scared of getting rejected,” she said. “So, I think it's important to put yourself out there and really believe in yourself and believe that you can do it."