Erin Berthon

Erin Berthon, MA Career Manager, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, at Chapman University

Juhi Doshi (‘24, BFA Broadcast Journalism and Documentary; Political Science minor), was inspired to pursue a career in political reporting during her internship at POLITICO’s California Bureau. As an editorial intern, Doshi contributed to POLITICO’s California Playbook and Playbookmai PM newsletters, covering criminal justice reform, education, healthcare, and more. She served as an integral part of POLITICO’S team, writing briefs and covering in-person events in Southern California, state legislature committee meetings, and press conferences. Doshi was also featured on the front page of politico.com for her contributions to the CA Ballot Tracker.

“As someone who has an interest in political journalism, this was a dream internship. It has pushed me to go further into journalism—especially political reporting. My dream job would be becoming a political correspondent for a major national news network.” 

Doshi sat down with Wilkinson College’s Career Manager, Erin Berthon, to discuss how her internship pushed her to explore new frontiers in journalism, and how Wilkinson helped her jump start her career in political reporting.

Erin Berthon: Tell us about your internship!

Juhi Doshi: My internship was remote; however, I was able to cover events in-person that were hosted in Southern California. I’ve had over 80 bylines with the California Playbook newsletter and contributed to 13 editions of the Playbook PM newsletter. I was able to directly question Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference on combating drought, covered an Orange County District Attorney Debate live, and followed the U.S. Education Secretary’s visit to Los Angeles. I’ve watched dozens of legislature committee hearings and published 6 POLITICO Pro briefs. Most days, I woke up at 4 a.m. to update the newsletter, so my mornings started very early! I learned so much from my peers and reported on breaking news developments surrounding California politics and policy. I wrote about criminal justice reform, education, healthcare, and more.

EB: What pushed you to pursue a degree at Chapman?

JD: I had heard how strong Chapman’s Broadcast Journalism program was and was interested in eventually switching into that program once I became a student. I really wanted to attend a school that had small class sizes and emphasized a hands-on and individualized approach, and thought Chapman would be a great choice. I’ve found that I’ve really been able to get to know my professors, and they have become great mentors, especially in Wilkinson College.

EB: How did Wilkinson College and your minor in Political Science prepare you to excel in your internship? What experiences as an ugrad stand out so far?

JD: My internship at POLITICO was all about political news, so my knowledge of political science that I am gaining  through my minor, gave me a great understanding of both state and national politics. My time with The Panther, Chapman’s independent newspaper, also was very significant. I started as the Assistant News Editor and then became the Managing Editor and that served as my foundation for knowing how to pitch stories, find interesting angles, edit stories, work on a tight deadline, and write print articles. 

EB: What was the trick to snagging an internship?

JD: Apply everywhere, even if you may think you don’t fit the requirements! Internships are a way for you to gain experience and knowledge, and it is OK if you don’t know everything! The point is to learn. You never know what might happen if you don’t apply.

EB: Can you speak on specific aspects of your internships, both past and present, that inspired you to pursue a career in political reporting? 

JD: I was always interested in politics and history, and found myself constantly talking about current events with my peers and teachers in high school. 2020 was my senior year at Diamond Bar High School. With the pandemic, presidential election, protests for racial justice, I thought since I was innately curious about what was going on around the world, that journalism would be a career that would suit me. I realized that I could turn my passion for politics, writing, storytelling, and talking to people into a career. Since I started at Chapman, I have interned at seven places. This internship [at POLITICO] opened the door for me to apply to companies like CBS, where I currently work. 

As a South Asian woman and the daughter of immigrants, I also have a deep interest in telling stories that affect underrepresented groups and marginalized people. I think that I am able to use my lived experiences to pitch stories that media outlets don’t traditionally cover.

EB: What was the most significant hardship you encountered at POLITICO and how did you overcome it? 

JD: Being remote is never easy, because you want to be able to see your coworkers and be on-site. However, it really improved my communication skills and pushed me to go the extra mile and personally reach out to the reporters and editors on my team. I also had a couple of mentors in the internship and was able to meet up for coffee with one of them! I took advantage of the fact that I was the only one on my team based in Orange County, and was familiar with Los Angeles County, so I was the person they sent to cover in-person events around Southern California.

EB: What do you hope to achieve during your new internship at CBS as an Evening News Intern?

JD: This is my first broadcast news internship, so I am learning new things every day. I’m learning how to operate cameras, write scripts for television, go out in the field, learn what stories are great for broadcast news, how to log stories, how to do voice overs, and have an on-camera presence. I’m learning everything at CBS by trying my hand at these skills for the first time. I hope to develop my understanding of television news, sharpen my broadcast journalism skills, and continue to work on stories that air in front of a national audience every day. 

EB: Do you have any advice for our students who have the same dream? 

JD: Start with what you have and network! I decided to take a gap semester as a result of the pandemic. During that year, I started to write. I wrote blogs and things that interested me and sent them to tiny student-run publications just to get something out there. One of the first stories I wrote about the lack of representation and diversity in the journalism industry got picked up by Brown Girl Magazine.

I accepted any opportunity that came my way, and didn’t limit myself to journalism internships. I interned for political organizations to grow my knowledge of politics. I also began to apply for mentorship programs and found mentors at every place I worked at. I learned from them, asked for advice, and started to expand my network. Networking allowed me to get advice from people who had been working in the industry for years. Adding a minor and exploring industries outside of your major opens your horizons to jobs and experiences you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.