When you’re a Capitol Hill intern and a newspaper interviews you for a story, there are a few guidelines you should follow.

1.    Always be honest, but not totally honest.
2.    Tell part of the story, but not all of it.
3.    Understand that the story won’t turn out like you and your Facebook friends hope it will. No matter how hard you try to make sense, if you’re an intern, you’ll always be taken out of context.  [This generally goes for everyone, but especially interns]  Regardless, enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.

When we were recently sent an article that appeared in The Hill, featuring Democratic intern Jennifer Moore, we knew it was unlikely that this story would turn out exactly how she envisioned. Unfortunately for the Oklahoma State junior, we were right. Hill reporter Brendan Sasso couldn’t help himself from taking advantage of an intern without media training. The good news, she’s now FamousDC and that’s more than 99% of her friends can say.

Let’s revisit our ground rules and see how Jennifer can improve next time:

1. As for ground rule one, be honest, but not too honest: Jennifer said this:

“I hate to say [the internship] was boring – but it was,” she said.

Ouch.  They’re far more creative ways to say your internship put fire to sleep.  When asked, say something like, “I’m learning so much at my internship – And while some days are more challenging than others, everyday is a new adventure and something I’ll cherish for a long time to come.”

2. Remember, less is more.

The best part about interning in the Oklahoma state legislature? “There were a lot of lobbyists, so we got to go to lunches and get free food,” Moore said.

Never use the words “free” and “lobbyists” in the same sentence.  It will never end well.  Instead, mention “you appreciate the opportunities and people you were able to meet throughout your experience.”

3.  Guideline number three is the most important.  Enjoy the moment. Just remember, no matter how hard you try, at the end of the day, if a paper is writing a story about you and you’re an intern, the headline is likely to be unhelpful.  During her interview Jennifer said:

“I was surprised to talk to people of that stature on the phone,” Moore said.

The Hill’s interpretation of that quote led to this headline: “Conyers’s intern enjoys talking to famous people.”

Really?  Talking to famous people…  Come on, Sasso!

Regardless of the headline, we’re still very proud of Jennifer, and wish her well as she goes back to school. [jealous]

We also hope she’s a fan of FamousDC.  Matter of fact, Jennifer, if you read this, email us and we’ll feature you on our Famous Five Questions, where you can join the likes of Pat Gavin, Chef Spike, Red State Update, Nora McAlvanah, Howard Mortman and others.  Trust us, we’re much more fun than The Hill and we promise to write a much better headline.