Hosting Montana Public Radio News

*My view this summer in the studio. I hosted newscasts multiple times daily here, and took one (1) low-quality selfie.*

My name is Aidan Morton and I chose to be a part of the “inequality and human rights” global theme because I’m passionate about finding way(s) inequalities in social, economic and political power and status impact everyone around us. I’ve found that more often than not we find these inequalities by pulling back the curtain, and analyzing the otherwise unseen ramifications of what’s happening in our state and its effect on those around us. It’s something I learned in the University of Montana School of Journalism and my classes in GLI, and something that became more apparent while interning at Montana Public Radio this summer.

Although I stayed in Missoula for my Beyond the Classroom experience this summer, I felt completely immersed in a new position with new roles. I gained a new perspective as a news host and reporter in a busy newsroom and was required to learn and act quickly. The news this summer came in hot and fast (pun intended) and it was my job to get it to listeners in our region. Every weekday, I was required to host multiple newscasts on the air while chasing individually reported stories. From chatting with wildland firefighters and police chiefs to biologists and conservationists, I gained a sense of how rapidly drought took hold in the west, and how persistent its effects were and will be on Montanans and Montana industries. In this position, I reported grizzly deaths, police involved deaths, Covid-19 deaths and even the deaths and memorials of Montana icons. It really felt like I had my finger on the pulse of Montana news.

Besides learning time management and efficient editing skills, I learned how to effectively orchestrate and communicate these stories over the air and identify trends among these events that developed over the summer. When I look back at my experience through the lens of my global theme, I notice how rapidly stories and examples of inequalities and human rights obstructions/violations came up. Furthermore, I notice how quickly those events were put in the backseat as more developments unsurfaced. I learned the importance of being timely and up to date as more news broke, but more importantly I learned that revisiting older news and trends is vital in making sure reports of injustice or wrongdoing do not expire.

I feel that my leadership skills have most drastically improved in my voice as a young journalist. It was reassuring to have the support of professionals in my work, especially as I caught my footing in this new role and began to try new things. Most of all, I valued the connections I made with the professionals in this field and I appreciated their patience and mentorship as I grew in the position. Every day in the newsroom was truly different, and I loved the challenge this dynamic brought. As I listen back on my first days at the job in May, I’m surprised how much and how quickly I grew in this role. Going forward, I trust that the skills I’ve learned and improvements I’ve made, both as a person and in my career, will help me more confidently analyze and speak out as I see abuses of human rights and inequality.