Rhett Umphress is a second-year graduate student at Ball State. He is copy chief of the Ball State Daily News and spent the summer as a Dow Jones intern at ESPN.com.
From his application: “A few years ago, I never would have thought I would be about to complete a master’s degree in journalism or that my job search would revolve around finding a position as a copy editor. After switching from music to journalism, I joined Ball State’s student newspaper, The Daily News. I had been the person who complained about newspaper mistakes all my life. So I thought it was basically my responsibility to join the DN’s copy desk. I wanted to prevent anyone else from being able to criticize the newspaper.”
Judge’s comment: “Rhett understands that even the smallest errors erode a publication’s credibility, whether or not readers consciously discern them. And with all the whining being posted on many newspapers’ online comment boards today, you have to respect a self-confessed complainer who decided to do something constructive and channel that energy into becoming the best copy editor he could be.”
