PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – In my time interning at WAVY, I have gotten to go out various times with different reporters. Though the largest amount of my time is spent in The Hampton Roads Show studio completing my daily tasks, the newsroom is runner-up in where my time at WAVY is spent.

On this particular occasion, I had the opportunity to shadow and go out with Markeshia Jackson on the 3-11 p.m. shift. After meeting up with her and photog Matt, the three of us set out in one of the WAVY vehicles towards our destination.

We soon arrived to Norfolk City Hall, where Norfolk Chief of Police Mark Talbot gave a 2024 crime report. As he was talking, Markeshia showed me the importance of taking detailed notes on what a subject is talking about, not only to have more content to go off of, but also to make sure that everything you’re saying is accurate.

After he delivered his crime report, the three of us barreled into the lobby, where we thankfully caught him for an interview. I watched as Markeshia carefully crafted detailed questions off the top of her head to ask him meaningful questions that she could share with WAVY viewers.

After securing an interview, we went back out to the car, where Markeshia and I began to write our VOSOTs, hers for her live shot at 6 p.m., and mine for practice! I ran my script by Markeshia, and she gave me a lot of helpful pointers on how to improve it.

Once she went live at 6 p.m., she gave me the opportunity to record my own stand-up with the script I had written! It took me a few tries because memorization is a lot harder than it seems in theory, but with Markeshia and Matt’s encouragement, I was able to complete a stand-up I was happy with.

After shooting various look-lives, the three of us went back to the studio where Matt began editing Markeshia’s package, and Markeshia and I did voice-overs for our respective package.

Something I absolutely wasn’t expecting was for Matt to edit my stand-up with B-roll and sound bytes.

This was an incredible experience, and I feel as though I learned so much. Markeshia is a ball of sunshine and was there to answer any question that arose, which I am so thankful for. And now I have my very own package that I can submit with other reporter reels to hopefully get hired on as a reporter after graduation!