Where Are They Now? Mark Memmott, Session Assistant 1978

As Student Programs approaches its 40^th year, we were pleased to speak with Mark Memmott, one of the first student interns to participate in the program in 1978. He started as a student intern and now has a unique and exciting career in various journalistic endeavors. After more than 35 years in the business, he is now Standards and Practices editor for NPR in Washington, D.C.

School: SUNY Albany
Major: Political Science / English
Senator: Frederick L. Warder

What do you do at NPR as a standards and practices editor?

Being a standards and practices editor is sort of like being a high school principal or a guidance counselor. You’re a resource for journalists and reporters on how to conduct stories appropriately. I am not the czar of journalistic ethics, but rather a sounding board for ethics guidance. The NPR Ethics Handbook is the living document that we use to make decisions in that respect.

We often deliberate on the language a reporter uses when describing contentious events and people in difficult circumstances. A recurring objective is to keep coverage devoid of labelling people; for example, we replace terms like “illegal aliens” with more active wording such as “people who entered the country illegally.”

What is a typical day at work for you?

My workday is varied. I spend much of my day talking about news stories with colleagues to discuss the best ways of reporting on events as they happen.

I also frequently interact with NPR’s member stations, fielding staff questions about covering the latest stories or topics. A recent example of this would be the ‘fake news’ focus in our media coverage. I have been working with NPR’s member stations to appropriately address this topic in their reporting.

How did you get into reporting and journalism?

I grew up in a household that had three papers delivered a day and that watched Walter Cronkite every night, so I was exposed to news and journalism early on.

In college, I joined the Albany Student Press as a staff writer, and I continued in that role even during my internship in the Legislature.

Following college, I began an internship with the Saratogian newspaper in Saratoga Springs, which ultimately became a job as a reporter.

What was your favorite story to cover?

I travelled to a small village in the middle of Afghanistan three times when I was with USA Today, at a time during the war when the Taliban were no longer a severe threat. I was able to travel around, meet people and see the country.

This may give away my love for rock music, but I had a lot of fun doing a business story about the Grateful Dead in the early 1990s. I also conducted one of the first stories about Bono’s Third World and AIDS work in 2001.

What was the most challenging story for you?

While I loved experiencing Afghanistan, it was difficult at times. Travel was not always easy, the language barriers presented some obstacles, and there were technological limitations. The only form of long distance communication was a large, clunky satellite phone.

How does modern reporting (i.e. social media, 24-hour news cycle, etc.) challenge your ethics guidelines?

There is increased pressure to be the first to report a story because there is a greater number of platforms out there now. The world of reporting that I started in, where you had a deadline to submit a piece that was then sent out without the ability to subsequently edit it, that no longer exists. So, we tell our reporters and writers to respond on the appropriate platforms and to really check their sources. The audience has to trust that they are getting accurate but timely information.

Do you have any words of wisdom for future interns? Any advice for interns who may want a career in political reporting?

Find people in the office willing to listen to your ideas but who will also bring you into the fold in terms of the legislative system, how an idea becomes a bill. Soak up the process and that will allow you to listen in on the deal making.

Keep a journal about what is going on while you are an intern. You may find that information useful down the line.

Go to the extensive library in Albany and do research. Explore the Capitol building, which is full of beautiful architecture.

For a student who is interested in reporting on politics, it is definitely good to spend time inside the workings of government and legislation.