Kimberly Cortez Snowden Success

This past summer, Kimberly Cortez ‘25 completed an internship for the Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. This competitive program is available for any Oregon college student and matches accepted students with one of the program’s news partners to cultivate a real-world learning experience. At the end of her internship, Kimberly–who is also the Editor-in-Chief for the Beacon–had her talents and passion for journalism recognized with the Snowden Ethics Award. Read more about her experience here:

“For ten weeks, I interned at Street Roots, an award-winning weekly street paper that works with homeless Portlanders to bring accurate, transparent and accountability-focused news to the broader Portland metropolitan area. 

My most challenging assignment was my investigation into an affordable housing program in Portland, where I discovered over a third of the units built were being rented at market rate, and the city wasn’t keeping track of the money developers pocket from financial exemptions. 

I also completed three ethical case studies on false balance, editing quotes and using email interviews in the digital age of journalism. I am honored to have received the Snowden Ethics Award, given to only two interns each year, for my ethical case studies. At the center of my ethical discussions was how marginalized communities are impacted by the decisions we make as journalists and rethinking traditional notions of objectivity.

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to develop my skills as a journalist, build connections with professional journalists and serve my community by bringing them fair, accurate news!”