Students test their journalism skills working in media outlets across Canada and around the world.
First year students completed 12-week professional internships working in established newsrooms and media outlets. Some second year students completed internships and fellowships to further develop their journalism skills.
Heather Roy (Class of 2013)
Over the summer, Heather Roy interned at Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar. For over three months, Roy wrote web pieces, worked on scripts and rewrote subtitles for three different series of films.
“Living in Doha was definitely an adjustment, but it was also great! I think learning to live in a different country and just interact there is a learning experience in itself. I think it makes you a better journalist to learn about different regions of the world.
“Basically, I didn’t really feel like an intern. I got to sit in the edit suite and they would ask me ‘what do you think would be a good cut?’ or things like that. It was really great to be immersed in how the actual editing process goes and learn from people who have been in the industry for a really long time.”
Lindsay Sample (Class of 2013)
Lindsay Sample was one of the recipients of CBC News’s 2013 Joan Donaldson Scholarship. Over the course of 16 weeks, Sample pitched, chased and researched stories for CBC TV News Vancouver, The Fifth State and CBC Radio 1’s Metro Morning.
“I learned a different set of technical skills. On top of that, I learned a lot about the dynamics of working in different newsrooms across media lines.
“My internship experiences have formed who I am as a journalist. They helped me gain confidence in my abilities and become more focused on the type of journalist I want to be. My internships allowed me to understand the industry better, get hands on experience, and make connections that have ultimately led to me being an employed journalist.”
Matthew Parsons (Class of 2014)
Matthew Parsons spent six weeks interning at CBC Radio 2’s classical programming, and another six interning with North by Northwest on CBC Radio 1.
At CBC Radio 2, he programmed music, put together research packs, did some script writing and edited tape. At North by Northwest, he edited interviews, booked guests and wrote interview scripts.
“Radio 2 taught me the technical skills for making radio. Writing for the ear is totally different from any other kind of writing, and these six weeks gave me the opportunity to hone that skill on a topic that I love to write about.
“My experience on Radio 2 gave me a head start for my internship with North by Northwest, where I got to work on some of my own projects, including my first radio documentary, which first aired in B.C. and was later nationally syndicated.”
Katelyn Verstraten (Class of 2014)
Katelyn Verstraten interned at the Vancouver Sun. She worked with NeuroDevNet and the National Core of Neuroethics to raise the profile of cerebral palsy in the media.
Verstraten wrote monthly articles for the Sun, as well as an end-of-summer feature article. She also travelled to the Netherlands to interview and photograph doctors, adolescents with cerebral palsy, and researchers.
“Being at the Vancouver Sun editorial meetings taught me so much this summer. Listening to some of the best journalists in the country deliberate over what is or is not a news story, and where pieces should go in the story was so helpful to my career. To study journalism is one thing, to see it as a profession is an entirely new level of enlightenment. “
Allison Griner (Class of 2014)
Allison Griner spent two months in New York City at Dan Rather Reports, a weekly, hour-long news show that airs on AXS TV.
Griner’s duties at Dan Rather Reports included helping to film, write scripts, edit, transcribe and log footage.
“Working alongside industry veterans really taught me how much television production is changing. Their insight was one of the most valuable aspects of my internship.
“I learned a lot about being on-camera, something I had never considered doing before. We were free to practice with the teleprompter in our downtime, and Mr. Rather would offer us tips on how to appear more natural onscreen.”
Rachel Bergen (Class of 2014)
Rachel Bergen worked at Global National and CTV Online this summer. At Global National, she researched feature stories and pitched stories. Then, at CTV, she wrote briefs, online articles and weekend features. She also covered events and took photos.
“Both were good experiences, but in different ways. Global National gave me a good sense of what it means to work towards producing the evening news. It’s a huge project and everybody has to be functioning on all cylinders to make sure it’s done well. I felt like I was contributing in little ways in order to help the producers work to the best of their abilities.
“Prior to working at CTV Online, I had very little experience writing for an online platform, so that internship was valuable in that way. I wrote almost all day every day – that was a great experience! I really liked being a part of the hustle and bustle of the newsroom.”
Sebastian Salamanca (Class of 2014)
Sebastian Salamanca completed his internship in Vancouver at The Tyee. He wrote news articles, conducted interviews, took photos and produced feature-length stories.
“It was a great experience. Every Monday morning we had to pitch the stories we were interested in, and during the week we would do the reporting and writing.
“I learned to write news articles quickly. I also learned a bit about writing long features and the logic behind the editing process. By covering the provincial elections, I learned a lot about Canadian and B.C. politics.”
Aurora Tejeida (Class of 2014)
Aurora Tejeida also spent her summer at the Tyee. During the B.C. elections, she wrote short news items almost daily. After the election, she worked in more in-depth pieces, including an ongoing project on Guatemalan refugees.
“The learning experience was great. I’m very pleased with the experience I had. The environment at the Tyee makes it easy to ask for help, and everyone in the office was very friendly and willing to help me out when needed.
“I guess the biggest lesson I learned was how to work on multiple stories at the same time and participate in editorial meetings and office discussions on how to shape stories.”
