Legislative Exchange Reporter, Intern cross paths en route to this year’s session

KUCB reporter Andy Lusk, left, and University of Alaska Anchorage journalism student Taylor Heckart, right, pose for a picture as they cross paths in the Unalaska airport as they embark on their ACEJ Legislative Reporter Exchange journeys. Heckart will intern at KUCB while Lusk reports on important Legislative news for the area from the state Capitol throughout February and March.

The Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism’s Legislative Exchange reporter and intern crossed paths in the Unalaska airport last weekend, as KUCB reporter Andy Lusk headed toward Juneau, while UAA journalism student Taylor Heckart arrived to cover news in the remote island community.

It’s the fourth year of the Legislative Reporter Exchange program, for which the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism fund supports the cost of travel and housing for mid-career Alaska journalists to cover their lawmakers in the state capitol, rather than from hundreds or thousands (in this case, 1,260) of miles away. The reporters are mentored by longtime legislative journalist Larry Persily, and the interns cover news in the reporter’s home newsroom, while gaining valuable real-world journalism skills.

In the past, reporters from Fairbanks, Kenai and Bethel have participated in the program, with student interns becoming rural radio news professionals after graduation.

This year’s KUCB exchange is the first of two planned reporter/intern exchanges for the program this session. The exchange is part of ACEJ’s professional development programming, and aims to give mid-career reporters more experience and training, to offer student interns the opportunity for hands-on journalism experience in a real newsroom, and to reduce the burden on small newsrooms that can’t often afford the cost or absence of sending a reporter to the state Capitol.