The right person for the job

Regular readers of the bog probably have noticed I refer to some of our writers as interns. These aren't coffee-fetchers rewarded with the occasional story. At The Star we tend to recruit interns we might just as readily hire for a full-time position. They typically spend 12 weeks with us in the summer, working as regular members of the metro staff. They're just as likely to get big, important stories as any of our other reporters.

Sara Polsky is a fine example. Since last week Sara has been covering one of our most important stories, the allegations of plagiarism leveled at Jacksonville State University President Bill Meehan and the school's former New Bureau director Al Harris. Not only had she already proved herself a capable reporter and writer, she already had experience covering a scandal involving a university president. A recent graduate of Harvard University, Sara was working for The Harvard Crimson, the campus daily, when Harvard President Lawrence Summers, at a January 2005 academic conference, made remarks suggesting that woman were not as well-suited for scientific endeavors as men. As a faculty beat writer, Sara was responsible for several stories on the storm of protest from professors that eventually cost Summers his job.

Sara's latest story on the JSU controversy was published today.