From Summer Intern to Contributing Writer: Connor Appleboom’s role at the Washington Examiner

Connor Appelboom, a Journalism major and History minor, interned in the Washington Examiner’s commentary department for 12 weeks during the summer. While most were expected to publish approximately one op-ed every two weeks, Connor published twice as many over the course of the internship. His work ultimately led to an offer to continue writing weekly commentary for the publication during his senior year and the possibility of a job after graduation.

“This is the launch of my career in commentary,” Connor said.

The opportunity began through the Fund for American Studies, which accepted Connor into its summer program and looked to connect him with different news organizations. One was the Washington Examiner.

After an initial interview with Chris Irvine, Connor’s information was passed along to Peter Laffin in the commentary department. During their conversation, Laffin asked Connor what he had been reading lately. He started answering with Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, and Laffin immediately offered him the internship.

Connor spent eight weeks of the 12-week program in Washington, D.C., and completed the remaining weeks remotely. His responsibilities gave him experience with both the editorial and writing sides of political commentary.

He reviewed op-eds before publication, edited and formatted submissions, added tags and metadata, and selected featured videos. By handling routine work to prepare articles for publication, Connor saved his editor time while learning how commentary moves from a writer’s draft to a published piece.

“Mr. Laffin seemed to think I was the greatest intern ever, but on my end, I was just mashing buttons on my keyboard and giving opinions,” Connor said.

Those opinions turned into 11 published pieces during the internship, far exceeding the expected pace. Working under regular deadlines also gave Connor an intensive introduction to professional opinion writing.

Laffin became both an editor and mentor, teaching Connor how to develop an argument and turn it into a concise, timely op-ed. Instead of spending weeks on a college paper, Connor might need to produce a roughly 600-word piece by the end of the week.

Connor regularly drew on material from his PHC courses, particularly his classes in philosophy, U.S. History, and Freedom’s Foundations. Ideas and authors he first encountered in the classroom became sources he could draw upon when constructing arguments for a national audience. “The quality of my pieces is indebted to the education at PHC,” Connor said.

PHC’s academic deadlines also prepared him for the pace of professional commentary. Learning to research, develop an argument, and write under time constraints made short turnaround times less unfamiliar at the Examiner.

Now that classes have resumed, Connor is learning to manage both kinds of deadlines at once. He has already begun producing pieces for the Examiner while completing his senior coursework.

“Despite needing to balance school and work, it’s definitely worth it,” Connor said. “I’m doing something I love and it’s a great opportunity.”

Connor thanks Chris Irvine for passing his information along, Peter Laffin for serving as a mentor, PHC for giving him the academic foundation, and God for putting everything into place.

Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.