By Abdulai Fasineh Dumbuya
Internship is an integral part of the journalism program at Fourah Bay College. Landing an appropriate internship spot is a big challenge given the number of students chasing those few positions in an environment where the impression is created in some offices that interns are not welcome.
It’s a fact that some student colleagues like soft options. They do not want to go through the labor-intensive, yet important procedures and processes of the internship. Accepting the rigors of which means one is ready to learn practical ways and establish deep connections.
I enjoyed the display of unfettered love and acceptance at Politico. Everybody was so considerate and passionate about my growth, more so exposing me to the virtual life in the newsroom. All I knew about how to re-write a press release; gather news stories, conduct interviews, prepare background news stories, and most importantly, how to find a sustainable angle that hooks the reader to the story was what I was told in class. This was now the real world.
My first day in office coincided with the weekly Police Weekly news conference which usually holds every Thursday. So I was told to attend the conference with Saio Marrah – one of the staff members and that encounter was a milestone. After hearing the pronouncement, I developed cold feet, thinking of what to gather from the conference and how to piece it all together, as well as considering my low typing skills. When I entered the conference hall, I was not sure, at first, who was who. This was my first day at a news conference.
Now face to face with highly ranked police officers, a smiling man in a well-tailored uniform greeted the press and kicked off the conference. Many issues were put on the table but Marrah, my mentor, told me to focus on only one. The stage fright lasted only twenty minutes in the hall before I could reunite with my inner self. Effectively and diligently, I maneuvered up the greasy pole and produced a news story that went to the front page.
While it is undoubtedly true that internship is task-demanding, particularly for interns working in big institutions, its benefits are also substantial, and at least for a craving intern, before his internship period elapses would have acquired exponential benefits. This is not all true for most interns. Some interns advanced excuses feigning they were sick to boycott office tasks or rather to sit lazily at home.
Some colleagues told me that their offices were not welcoming to interns and as a result, they would prefer to stay at home instead of paying huge transportation fares almost every day and gain nothing at the end of the day. More often than not they are ignored and uninvolved. We indeed owe it to ourselves to be resilient in whatever circumstance, but we cannot grow in the face of cruel institutions where there is no love and acceptance for interns.
Another colleague told me that the rejection is so raging that even the reporters they met at those institutions compete with them because the editor had on one occasion praised them. This height of jealousy strained the relationship between the staff members and the interns. That was a complete misunderstanding, considering that interns work on a defined time frame for their grades.
Many of my colleagues changed offices twice, owing to constant rejections among others. Those who were in this cycle, even so with much dedication, would end up floating in different offices. However, I never encountered such nightmare experiences; after all, this was because of the superhuman characters I met. They usually forced me with tasks just to keep me busy, and tasks were coming from everybody – not from a single channel.
To keep me abreast with the news environment, I represented Politico on several occasions which had a significant impact on my output. I attended over five media training sessions, two report launchings, and many news conferences in just two months.
Meanwhile, internship, which is geared for students to turn their theoretical knowledge into practice, is programmed for students to avail themselves of the many opportunities and connections in the world outside the classroom.
Students, who are on the verge of going into the internship world, are encouraged to be disciplined and humble, for nothing happens in a vacuum. The internship is an inseparable part of our journey as students of journalism, so let us motivate others to endure every sense of its scrutiny in our different disciplines. It is always payable if well-spent. Too often, it is a place where dreams come to reality.
I also want to principally urge communication students to cut their teeth in print journalism, as it may have manifold benefits as long as they wish to traverse other subfields within the communication discipline. Creative writing and clear thinking skills are defining tools of a communicator.
If I am to go for an internship again before completing my course, I will choose Politico Newspaper because of its open-door policy and the standard is high.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (22/12/23)
