08/07/2026
Gray will be the EIC of The Murray State News this fall.
Meet KPA Intern Gray Hawkins
EDITOR'S NOTE: Your Kentucky Press Association has a long history of providing interns to participating members around the Commonwealth. This year, thanks to the Past Presidents shepherding the program and the good work of Coordinator Jemi Chew, four interns were placed in Kentucky newspapers. KPA is delighted to share the bios and photos of the four. The copy was prepared by each intern. This is the third of four profiles.
Gray Hawkins
KPA Intern Bio
Gray Hawkins (they/them) is a journalism and creative writing double major at Murray State University. They were selected for a Kentucky Press Association internship through the Corbin News Journal where they are learning to make connections and track down stories on a local level. For the past three years, Gray has worked at The Murray State News and will serve as the collegiate publication’s editor in chief for its centennial year starting this fall.
By Gray Hawkins
KPA Internship Reflection
I began this internship knowing the work I would do this summer would be different from my work at The Murray State News. I did not expect to go to jail five days in.
I visited the Whitley County Detention Center on May 29 for my first story at the Corbin News Journal. The jail partnered with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to construct a new salt dome. I interviewed inmates on the work crew, the KTC representative directing the construction, the county jailer sources far different than any I spoke to as a collegiate feature writer.
Beyond what sources I talk to, the types of stories I tell are different. When I pitch stories for the upcoming week, I am no longer writing for 18-to-24-year-olds and freshmen who are completely new to the area and its goings-on; I am primarily writing for an older generation who have lived here most, if not all, of their lives. How can I, as a reporter, shift my approach to provide coverage of what the community really cares about? What is newsworthy to one audience versus the other, and where might I find common ground between them?
I cannot say I know all those answers after two weeks. Although, I think construction and money are fairly universal concerns. Whether it is about tuition or tax dollars, there are plenty of people who would love to know where their money is going and how they will benefit from it.
On some days I feel out of my depth, and on others I know what I am doing. This internship already challenges my weaker points as a rookie journalist and pushes against the comfort zone I try to operate in.
More than anything, my first week at the News Journal taught me I have to take the initiative to challenge myself to become a confident, skilled journalist. I am working toward a career in a constantly evolving field where professional growth comes from consistently, self-consciously adapting rather than a series of open-and-shut lessons I can immediately internalize.
My internship will continue teaching me this summer. I will continue teaching myself far after it ends.
For now, I have to keep tracking down stories for next week’s pitches.
