UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 22, Page 2
March 2, 1995
Review editor earns newspaper editing internship

     Melissa Tyrrell, senior journalism major and editor-in-chief of
The Review, is one of only 40 students from across the nation selected
to receive a 1995 Newspaper Editing Intern award from the Dow Jones
Newspaper Fund Inc.
     On May 28, the day after Commencement, Tyrrell and 11 other
regional fellows will begin a two-week, copyediting orientation
session at Temple University. From June 12 through Aug. 18, she is
scheduled to serve a copyediting internship in Massachusetts at the
Gloucester Daily Times.
     Tyrrell, who has applied to graduate programs at Columbia and
American universities, said the fellowship also includes $1,000 for
graduate study.
     She said she was very pleased to receive the award, especially
since she was not selected when she applied the previous year.
     The McKean High School graduate from Wilmington has been at The
Review for two years, and she said her responsibilities at the campus
paper are demanding.
     "When I found out about the award," Tyrrell said, "it made the
hard work seem worth it. I know everyone says that, but I really can't
wait to get started."
     Tyrrell admitted that she has not yet determined what she wants
to do professionally when she enters the job market. Her interests,
she said, seem to change every day.
     Human interest stories, as well as those that focus on political,
educational and social issues are her preference. "I don't like city
writing or crime reporting," she said. "But copyediting is a great
opportunity to read everyone's writing and experience the different
voices. I like it. You learn a lot, and when you go on your own, you
become a very thorough writer.
     "In the newspaper business, you are either a copy editor or a
writer. I see copy editing as a way to learn to write better. So, I
just don't want to stay in one area or the other."
     Tyrrell admitted that becoming a writer has not always been her
main interest. "I always wrote," she said, "but I didn't always want
to be a writer."
     After her summer internship in Massachusetts, Tyrrell's immediate
interest is graduate school. She referred to it, and the accompanying
big city life, as things she wants to experience while she is young
and has the energy to take advantage of them.
     Eventually, she said, she would prefer a job on a paper that is,
"something a bit more sedate," she explained, "something challenging
and meaningful in a moderate-sized town."
                                                         -Ed Okonowicz