Deseret News

I started a new internship with Deseret Digital Media (DDM) last Monday, May 6. I write online content for the faith and family sections. When I first started with University Communications for BYU-I last semester it was initally difficult for me to get do public relations writing. I told my suporvisor Marc Stevens that PR writing made me want to barf because of all the "flowery" words and such. Marc had to retrain me by saying, "there is no crying in baseball, and there is no barfing in PR." He told me that PR writing isn't barfy, it's just warm. Fair enough. Ha, when I needed to tweak my pieces he'd say, "just massage it a bit, Abby."

But with DN I'm back to journalism, and it's been a trickier transfer back than I thought it would be. I'm surprised by how must I miss those "warm" words. Anyway, I work in the DN building downtown (which is connected to the KSL building and next to LDS Business College). I just love my back view of the Salt Lake City Temple. I work with some really great people and I'm treated really well. I published three pieces in my first week, a couple blurbs about some YouTube clips and a feature about adoption (about Ryan and Amy Harris). You can read some of my pieces for yourself here:

• Couple, birth mother share challenges, blessings of adoption
• Spiritual leaders use Facebook, YouTube, hashtags to spread messages 
• Three acts of kindsness displayed on baseball videos and captured in viral videos
• 11-year-old girl wows RSL crowd with national anthem
• One month later: Boston Marathon victims remembered, Richard family update
• 'The Office' star Rainn Wilson campains for imprisioned members of his faith 

• or, to just see a list of my published articles, click on my name in the byline, or just click here

**Just a sidenote, the blurb about the 11-year-old girl singing the national anthem has more than 7,000 views, whereas the adoption article has just over 1,000. Gah, I put way more work into that feature. It's taken a bit of a toll on my faith in humanity. Just a bit.**

Just today I was walking around the office and I thought to myself, "I can totally do this." I'm all for being stretched and growing and whatnot, but I cannot tell you how great it feels to be qualified. I write a piece at least everyday now, and I've never thought, "this is entirely above me." I'm sure I'll run into difficult articles, but so far I feel really comfortable and happy with the work I've been doing. I'll repeat myself, it feels so great to be qualified.

I'm a journalist!

Back view of Temple Square from the Triad Center where I work.

The different sites that Deseret Digital Media encompases.

One of DDM's mission statements, and a worthy cause if I do say so myself. 

My first published feature. Ah, it feels so good!