Kim Fassler ‘06

Field site:

ABC News Special Events

Fassler has always had an interest in journalism—she is an executive editor of The Williams Record and also works in the college’s news office. Therefore, she relished the chance to work with ABC News in New York City during Winter Study.

Fassler worked in the Special Events Unit. “It’s a really exciting team to be a part of because it deals with breaking news stories, using stored video footage to put together a news report right after an event has taken place, when there may be little or no video footage immediately available,” she said.

The special events team also anticipated future breaking news stories and prepared video packages that would be ready to play at a moment’s notice. “The very first day I was there,” Fassler said, “I sat down at a desk and noticed a sheet of paper next to me that read ‘What ABC will do if Ronald Reagan dies,“ which then went on to list the different steps for this emergency broadcast—which anchor will speak, what graphics they“ll use, what video packages they will air on Reagan“s life (all of which they have put together and edited months ago).”

Fassler was given the chance to get as much out of the short internship as possible. She usually worked 4-5 days a week from 9-5, except during special broadcasts. “On the days when the states in the west were having their primaries or caucuses, we’d have to stay later to get the results after the polls closed because of the time difference. During that time, I’d sit in an editing room and keep tabs of the results or help them look for interesting sound bites. Or I’d log video footage, marking down time codes so the segments could be found easily later. It was a totally chaotic environment during these broadcasts but it was absolutely amazing work and I loved it.”

The internship provided the real, personal experience needed to back up what was learned in the fall New York, New York class.

For Fassler, it was enlightening. “We spent time in class discussing the role of the journalist in creating public perceptions, as well as the kinds of personalities that are attracted to journalism,” she said. “I definitely saw a lot of aggressive, driven characters at ABC who were often just as worried about getting the story as they were about getting the story first.”

Fassler, who hails from Hawaii, favors the implementation of a Williams-in-New-York semester program. “I think it would be an extremely rewarding experience, especially for students like myself who aren’t from the East Coast and didn’t have the opportunity to go to the city when they were growing up. Living in New York gives you a taste of so many different cultures and ways of life in one place, it gives you appreciation for the arts and the theater, the intricate workings of the business district and the feeling of what it’s like to walk through a place that in so many ways is still healing from September 11.”