Internship journal

I worked for the West Texas Tribune (https://westtexastribune.org/author/baylie/) and KACU 89.5 FM (https://www.kacu.org/people/baylie-simon) in Abilene, Texas. I began working on Jan. 5, 2026, and will finish working May 8, 2026.

Combined total: 198 hours, 45 minutes

Weekly totals:

Week 1 – 21 hours, 20 minutes 

Week 2 – 17 hours,  25 minutes

Week 3 – 18 hours, 35 minutes

Week 4- 5 hours, 10 minutes

Week 5- 14 hours, 40 minutes 

Week 6- 14 hours

Week 7- 10 hours, 20 minutes

Week 8 – 5 hours, 30 minutes

Week 9 – 5 hours, 50 minutes 

Spring Break – 4 hours, 25 minutes

Week 10 – 12 hours, 20 minutes

Week 11- 26 hours, 40 minutes 

Week 12 – 3 hours, 45 minutes

Week 13 – 24 hours, 25 minutes

Week 14 – 6 hours, 45 minutes

Week 15 – 5 hours, 50 minutes

Week 16 – 2 hours, 50 minutes

Week 1

Jan. 5

Contacted Betty Hardwick Center, Oceans Behavioral Health, Pruett Gerontology, and West Texas Council on Aging to set up interviews for a story about elderly mental health. Prepared questions for a nurse, social worker, and mental health program administrator. Researched and familiarized myself with elderly mental health information to prepare for the interviews.

Researched domestic violence support organizations in Abilene. I researched the case of Desree Sanchez, and the criminal history of her husband who killed her. I prepared questions for APD, the Noah Project and the Regional Victim Crisis Center.

Jan. 6

Interviewed Aimee Colley, the Director of Pruett Gerontology, in person. 

Scheduled interviews with the Noah Project and the Regional Victim Crisis Center.

Went through and took notes from my interview with Amiee Colley and pulled quotes. I am beginning to write the story with the interview and research that I have done so far. 

Jan. 7

I reviewed notes and refined questions preparing for interviews with the Noah Project and Regional Victim Crisis Center sources.

Jan. 8

Interviewed Alana Jeter at the Noah Project.

Began going over the interview for notes and quotes. 

Interviewed the executive director of the Regional Victim Crisis Center and got information from their Director of Operations. I received a tour of the facility and additional graphics and statistical information pertaining to domestic violence. 

Jan. 9

Went over both of the domestic violence interviews. I took notes and pulled quotes. I wrote the first half of the article version. I still need to write about resources and pull quotes about them from both interviews. 

Jan. 10

Completed the rough draft of the domestic violence prevention story and took photos for the story.

Jan. 11

Edited the photos I took on Photoshop. Emailed the Domestic Violence story draft to Floyd Miller.

Turned the domestic violence story article version into a radio script. Went through and clipped out sound bites from the interviews using PremierPro.

Week 2

Jan. 12

Interviewed Shana Gassiot from Betty Hardwick over the phone. 

Went over the interview, pulled quotes and took notes over it. 

Started writing story.

Finished draft.

Turing into radio script, pulling audio clips.

Jan. 13

Edit both radio stories/scripts with Rachel Lindley from KERA News.

Recording domestic violence story. Editing the elderly mental health script.

Mixing sound for Domestic violence story, creating web article version for KACU’s website. 

Gather new clips for the elderly mental health story. 

Jan. 14

Final edit with Rachel for elderly mental health story.

Jan. 15

Making graphs for elderly mental health stories. Finding research that supports the message of the story.

Making final adjustments to the story before sending story over to Floyd in the morning. 

Jan. 16

Prep and research for MLK banquet. Potential questions, who’s speaking, history of the event.

Week 3

Jan. 18

Attended the MLK Banquet hosted by the ABCC. Interviewed, photos, listened, met people. After the event, downloaded photos and audio.

Jan. 19

Did interviews and took photos at the MLK March hosted by the Royals family. 

Downloading photo, video and audio, organizing, and editing 

Jan. 20

MLK script 

MLK script editing, recording, produce web version

Jan. 21

Writing MLK stories for the Tribune. Interview with secretary of ABCC, Aleah Ewing, for final details on the banquet story. Sent all to Floyd.

Jan. 23

Submitting four stories in WordPress

Mixed elderly mental health story, made web version

Jan. 24

Edits to MLK Banquet story, edits given by Floyd. 

Week 4

Jan. 27

Began research for uninsured health care story. 

Jan. 28

More research, calling/emailing to set up interviews. 

Jan. 30

Reaching out again… starting Abilene housing story, contacting right away

Research, preparing interview questions

Week 5

Feb. 2

Interview with Gage Roach

Feb. 3

Writing script from Gage Roach interview

Gene Reed interview, script

Reaching out to more contacts I need for story: emergency department, salvation army, Mayor

Questions for PMCM interview 

Questions for health district interview 

Feb. 4

Interviewed Brady Hardwell at PMCM, took photos of facility

Call fire department and salvation army

Feb. 5

Interview at Public Health District 

Feb. 7

Rewriting the housing availability script with new sources and interviews 

Writing West Texas Tribune version

Feb. 8

More edits, photos, upload into Tribune WordPress

Starting insurance story. Taking notes through both long interviews. To be continued. 

Week 6

Feb. 9

Interview notes for insurance. Done now, going to start writing story.

Feb. 10

Mix and record housing story, created web version, upload photos 

Starting to write insurance 

Feb. 11

Wrote article version of health insurance story, draft. 

Liz Case research and questions prep

Feb. 13

Interview with Liz Case

Feb. 15

Cutting an 8 minute and hour long version of an interview with Liz Case.

Week 7

Feb. 16

Edits to health insurance article

Feb. 17

New story searching, found “Stand with survivors” event. Speaking out against the recent Epstein files controversy. Turned health insurance story into a radio script. 

Feb. 18

Stand with Survivors prep.

More prep for Riley Rodriguez interview on Friday

Interviewed Gage Roach, for preview of ‘Stand with Survivors’

Writing preview script 

Recording and mixing preview script

Feb. 19

Edit with Rachel for Insurance Radio

Feb. 20

Interview with Riley Rodriguez for Stand with Survivors 

Recording Insurance 

Web version and mixing insurance 

Feb. 22

Coverage of ‘Stand With Survivors’ event.

Write 

Week 8

Feb. 23

Wrote Epstein story

Put Epstein story in Tribune format

Recorded Epstein story, mixed

Finished mixing Epstein story

Feb. 24 

Mix insurance 

Week 9

March 1

New story, high school mental health 

Shawantee Fleming 

March 2

Reaching out to Eula ISD

Questions for Fleming 

March 4

Interview/meeting with Shawnte Fleming at Cedar St. Coffee

March 6

Going through Shawnte interview

Spring Break

March 8

Writing Fleming article 

March 9

Fleming article

March 11

Reaching out for Bexa and Cisco nursing story

Week 10

March 16

Kairos Prison Ministry, reach out and research. Schedule a follow-up interview with Shawnte. 

Cisco nursing and Bexa breast exams story research and question prep

2 DQ interview attempts: total 30 minutes 

March 17

Called Shawnte Fleming for more details about a quote. More edits

Dairy queen interview done yayyyy and photos of ice cream cone

DQ draft

Fleming edits

Producing DQ

Further/final prep for Bexa interviews

Final Fleming edits

March 18

Interview set up, interview with Pearl Merrit and Tamara Alexander

DQ web version

March 19

KACU Meeting, working on Kairos research, contacting several people

Email to AISD Holland medical High school 

March 20

Kairos video notes, more questions

March 21

Kairos prep

Week 11

March 23

Chris Cummings interview – Kairos prison ministry

Going through Chris interview 

March 24

Cummings article form

More Cummings article, Kairos Outside (Dayna) question prep, rescheduling details with Cisco story,

Going through Pearl interview for Cisco nursing, Cisco nursing student questions and research prep 

March 25

Dayna Ross interview 

Going through Ross interview

Adding Dayna Ross to interview, creating script version

Cisco Abilene campus nursing lab pictures

West Texas Tribune, insert photos and format

March 26

Pre-writing Cisco script from what I have from Pearl Merritt

March 27

Cedric interview

Recording Kairos 

Cisco story, script 

March 28

Attended No Kings Rally at Abilene City Hall

No Kings script

West Texas Tribune article

March 29

Audio for Kairos and No Kings 

Produce Kairos

Upload photos and captions to KACU drive 

Record and produce No Kings, Web version of No Kings and Kairos (and photos plus captions for Kairos)

Week 12

March 30

First Edit with Rachel for Cisco nursing

March 31

Applying edits Rachel gave me

April 1

Bexa exam demonstration, photos, interview

April 2

2nd edit with Rachel

Week 13

April 6

Producing Cisco

Web version and photos

April 7

Tammy Fogle preparation 

April 8

KACU Phone shift, Tammy Fogle interview, Bexa script writing

Bexa script

KACU Phone shift, Bexa script and article version. 

Article format and photo captions

April 9

Fogle recording intro and outro

Web extended version editing

April 10

KACU phone shift

April 12

Attended Libertarian Party Convention

Writing radio script 

Make West Texas Tribune version

Week 14

April 13

Photo captions, clipping, practice run through.

West Texas edits

Edit Libertarians with Ana, produce, web version, photo and captions

Recording Bexa

April 15

Finish producing all Bexa stuff, photos, mixing, web version

Week 15

April 22

Sears Recreation center grand opening, write story right away

Captions, producing, web version, article version

April 24

Interviews at Braums for HSU housing story

Week 16

April 27

HSU Housing script

Record and produce 

April 28

HSU photos