When Andrew Hawthorne COM, JMS’26 began his summer internship with the industry journal Resource Recycling, he first thought he might be covering a limited number of subjects. But Hawthorne was quickly and pleasantly surprised when he found himself writing about a broad range of interesting topics from a federal lawsuit regarding Oregon’s producer responsibility laws to the illicit trafficking of American electronic waste overseas.

In the process, Hawthorne has found that even such a specialized field as recycling can lead to stories with global stakes and skills that will serve him in any newsroom.

SC&I: How did you find out about your internship, and what was the application process like?
AH: I found out about the Resource Recycling internship from Professor Steven Miller. He sent out an email to all journalism students about the opportunity with an address for me to pursue it. Resource Recycling is a pretty humble operation, so I just wrote up a cover letter, attached my resume, and sent it in an email. I also read through some articles on their website for my cover letter, and to prepare for my interview, I searched to find where my interests and past work with The Daily Targum overlapped with Resource Recycling, so I could highlight those overlaps in my application process. I had one interview and learned I got the internship a couple of weeks later.

"I've had the opportunity to cover some pretty interesting stories that I didn't expect to fall within the topic of recycling. I've covered local legislation battles, sustainability projects with the Department of Energy, research in new electronics and textile recycling technology, and even an ongoing federal lawsuit claiming Oregon's producer responsibility laws are unconstitutional. My favorite so far is probably an article on American electronics scrap illegally shipped to Malaysia and Thailand."

SC&I: What does a typical day at your internship look like?
AH: Generally, I have one article to write per day, with some emails and scheduling to do for other articles in the week. In addition to my assigned articles, I do the industry announcements section of our newsletters, which is comparatively much simpler than a full article, so I start with those to get the wheels turning a bit before I start my article. Articles are due at 5 p.m. EST (relevant when most writers are in different time zones), but I try to get it done by around 4 p.m. since other writers will be editing, making comments, and asking questions before it's done, and I want to be able to answer them before I log off for the day. Working with other writers tends to take a bit of flexibility, but the other writers have been very accommodating whenever things had to run outside my usual hours and schedule conflicts arose. However, I, of course, have to be equally flexible in order for us to collaborate effectively. It also took some getting used to triple-checking every meeting start time for what time zone it was labeled in.

SC&I: What has been the most exciting or surprising part of your internship so far?
AH: I would say I was surprised by the breadth of topics I've covered so far. While an industry journal obviously tends to cover a few very specific topics, I've had the opportunity to cover some pretty interesting stories that I didn't expect to fall within the topic of recycling. I've covered local legislation battles, sustainability projects with the Department of Energy, research in new electronics and textile recycling technology, and even an ongoing federal lawsuit claiming Oregon's producer responsibility laws are unconstitutional.

My favorite so far is probably an article on American electronics scrap illegally shipped to Malaysia and Thailand. It is a pretty big problem that developed countries dump their waste in developing countries, and while most countries have signed a treaty to outlaw that, America is not part of that treaty, so a lot of Southeast Asian countries need to create programs to stop those shipments that often contain dangerous waste and harmful chemicals. I wasn't expecting half that much international drama in the world of recycling.

SC&I: What has been one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you overcome it?
AH: There have been a few reconfigurations to Resource Recycling's editorial process during my internship, sometimes at less than convenient moments. Some of those changes were a little bit stressful, and there has been some confusion as responsibilities change hands, and I think I found myself a little more concerned with those changes than I needed to be, given my more limited role as an intern.

I overcame it by just keeping a level head about what I needed to get done and clearly communicating with my team. While I took on responsibilities when I could, I also made sure to clearly communicate with my team when I couldn't take on more. My faculty supervisor, Professor Miller, has also been very helpful as all these changes have unfolded. He definitely helped me get my head on straight about the situation by meeting with me when I needed it.

SC&I: What skills or lessons from your Rutgers coursework or organizations have been most useful in your internship so far?
AH: I think my involvement with The Daily Targum was a really big advantage for working with Resource Recycling. I have been writing for the Targum for a year and a half now, so I already have some interviewing and writing experience that I've been using pretty much every day in my internship. Working with Targum also made me accustomed to working in a largely remote writing team, since Resource Recycling is an entirely remote organization.

However, the Targum has a very different writing cycle from Resource Recycling. In my internship, stories are assigned on Thursday and are due on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, depending on the newsletter. This means most of my articles are written in one day, and there isn't much flexibility to arrange interviews with sources. I think classes like Writing for Media and Broadcast News Writing and Reporting were really helpful for this aspect of the job since they are so focused on writing as much as possible and turning article structure into second nature. I've even added other similar classes to my schedule plan for media formats I'm not super interested in pursuing, just to get more of that short turnaround style writing practice because it really is an invaluable skill.

"Most of my articles are written in one day, and there isn't much flexibility to arrange interviews with sources. I think classes like Writing for Media and Broadcast News Writing and Reporting were really helpful for this aspect of the job since they are so focused on writing as much as possible and turning article structure into second nature."

SC&I: How do you see this internship shaping your future career plans?
AH: It's definitely taught me a lot about what kind of media and workplace I want to work in in the future. Working remotely has been great for a summer internship, especially a part-time one, since hours can be flexed more easily and I am given more free range in how I want to complete my assignments, but not working in the same physical space with the other writers has some challenges, and it can be difficult spending so much time alone. I have learned a lot about what remote work feels like and that it is a great option for some scenarios, but it might not always be best for me.

I also learned what it is like to work for a publication on such a specific topic. I knew very little about recycling when I started, but I've become a lot more fluent in its jargon and prevalent issues during the internship, which I think gives me some confidence to take on some articles that I don't have that much experience in or pursue other, more niche publications since now I’ll know I've done it before. I've also found that having such a specific audience, in my case, recycling facility operators and municipal waste leaders, can be kind of gratifying as I come to know what that audience is looking for or already knows.

SC&I: What advice would you give to fellow and future Rutgers students hoping to break into your field?
AH: It might almost be cliché to say to journalism students, but I have really just focused on getting as many bylines and as much writing experience as possible. I feel like the more naturally article writing becomes to me, the more confident I become in my own abilities as a journalist. I already plan on looking for more ways to write throughout the academic year after the internship is over to keep the momentum going. I would also say that trying to work at a publication focused on a topic totally foreign to me has led to unique opportunities and growth that a normal news writing position might not. While a recycling trade journal was far from what I imagined my goal internship to be, and recycling may not be the rest of my career, I have found a million different ways that my interests are applicable to issues in recycling.

Discover more about the Journalism and Media Studies and Communication programs at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information website.

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