I'll be the first to tell you that mentoring the young and the restless can be a lot of work.  It can also be educational experience-- and not just for the mentee.

Some of you may recall this post from last October after I had been chosen to mentor a senior journalism student at West Virginia University.  My mentee, Morgan Young,  is from the D.C. area and said she's dreamt of writing for The Washington Post from a young age.  

Fast forward to where we, along with 15 other "best and brightest," are working on a multi-media project in Elkins, WVA.  The project is called "West Virginia Uncovered," where Morgan has risen to the position of teaching assistant for the lead instructor. Since being paired as mentor-mentee, I snuck her into the ONA 2010 annual conference in D.C. (shhh, don't tell anyone) and hooked her up with Patch.com and she's turned that into steady freelance work.  

The last morning of the project, the Ombudsman for The Washington Post wrote his last article in that position. He openly asked, "Can The Post Regain It's Legacy Of Excellence?" and since I knew she'd be interested, I shared the article with Morgan.

Her response was quick: "Why do you keep trying to crush my dream? I think it's sour grapes," she remarked. According to Morgan, Andrew Alexander had to leave the position with a parting shot at the newspaper and doesn't believe he's right. "Well, not entirely," she added.

I didn't expect that reaction, but Morgan explained, "It's like working for Patch but doing so in my hometown.  I know the place therefore I can find the stories that should be told. Also--and this is bigger picture-- I like having a goal, something to strive for that has a proven track record of excellence," going on say that she want to be "the keeper of the truth." 

When asked for a solutions-based answer to the Ombudsman's column and she summarized, "Well, number one, people shouldn't get any of their news from tv.  People should actually read the news. Second, today it's all about speed, and when it's all about speed, a lot is going to fall through the cracks.  Also, journalists need to decide to put on a cape and uphold journalistic standards."

I nodded.  I wanted to cheer, actually.  

doug@knowledgewebb.net

*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog