The Internship Dilemma

 

  An internship or working experience is an arrangement with an organization outside the universities that enables experiential learning in an area related to students’ study and career goals. The terms „placement‟ and „internship‟ are often used interchangeably. Most of the students at The Hague University are usually required to do internships during their final years in order to gain proficient skills and knowledge. However, the problem comes when they start looking for a placement because most of them lack sufficient previous experience in the fields that they are interested in.

  “I stared applying for an internship at the begging of last summer. It took me almost four months to find an appropriate internship… because I received numerous rejections due to the lack of previous internships”, shares Elena, a Bulgarian student enrolled in the International and European Law program at THU. She is one of the hundreds students who face this problem every year. Most of the international companies in The Netherlands are open to interns and offer numerous positions in different fields but they normally require and prioritize students who already did internships before. “People usually think that you are not experienced enough if you have never worked before. That is why, I had to literally negotiate with them and explain that my program is really practically oriented and I know what I have to do”, continues Elena. Despite of the fact that the HBO universities in the Netherlands such as The Hague University provide more practical courses, students are still rejected and most of them “are not given a try”. According to Elena, it was a “matter of luck” to be given a chance to join the defense team of Mr. RADOVAN  KARADŽIĆ in the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

  Even if a student is accepted to do an internship in a certain company, it might also be problematic due to his or her different expectations. “I personally wanted to do my internship in a big international corporation and I was focused on applying in such. However, I was rejected because I was not experienced enough at that time.”, claims Margarita, an international student from the ICM program in THU. On the other hand, a funny thing often happens when someone starts working at their ideal position, and they realize that it is not so ideal at all. That is why, the placement that a student undertakes might not be the best one but at least it gives an insight in what he or she does not want to do in the future. Despite of the company’s size, the most important advantage remains the practice that one gains while doing a placement. “. At least I had a chance to find two communications related internships even in a start-up companies like 123 Scoop and donnadonella. I acquired much more relevant experience than I would be able to acquire in a big company because when you are working for a small or in my case start-up company, then your obligations are more and the expectations are higher”, shares Margarita.

 In spite all the dilemmas connected to the internship, students are always advised to not give up because there is a chance for everyone behind the right corner. “There is always an opportunity and a place for everyone in this word. It is hard but it is not impossible and the motivation is the most important ingredient to success”, states Elena. Moreover, it is of utmost importance to start looking on time because usually it takes longer than the students expect. Neliya, a fourth year IBMS student in THU advises future interns “to take, as many extra classes and activities as possible, and to learn foreign languages because they might put them in their CVs and this is what the companies are looking at”. She is confident enough and really proud of her internship in Bentley Systems, an international corporation with offices in more than 50 countries. “I do believe that experience is not sufficient without imagination and charisma. I was aware of the fact that there were people who had more experience than me and who were applying for the same positions as me, but I was confident enough and I knew that I have something interesting to show”, shares the young intern Neliya.

  Therefore, future interns from THU, never stop looking and never underestimate a position because you cannot be sure that it not the ideal one before starting. You may not personally see a difference in yourself, but definitely will leave a bit wiser, more mature, more confident, and a better candidate for the next internship or full-time job. Good luck!

Features- A More Creative Way of Writing and Presenting Issues

 

According to recent studies, nowadays readers become more and more tired of the ordinary news stories which are almost the same in every newspaper.  Surveys prove that people prefer articles that are written in a more creative manner, that dig deeper and look at issues and trends while appealing to the human interest of a story. And luckily features were created!

 Due to its definition, a feature article is “a newspaper or magazine article that is written to entertain and inform the reader. It does contain some elements of the short story and is written with a lead to get the reader's attention and then uses conversational tone to present the reader with information to evoke an emotional response”. Undoubtedly, features are popular content elements of magazines, newspapers, websites, newsletters, blogs, broadcasts, television and other mass media. Therefore, they present immense opportunities to the best freelance writers who know how to entertain with their writing. 

 The main reason why readers prefer to explore more and more feature stories is because they are colorful, descriptive, thoughtful and usually include original ideas. The feature’s main aim is not to report the latest breaking news, but to provide an in-depth look at a subject. While journalists’ goal is to simply report the news without having enough time to prepare the background, writers of features have the time and space to cover the details of the circumstances and even to evoke imagery. That is why, features are normally longer than the news stories and also neglect the inverted pyramid writing.

 There are many kinds of feature stories that grab the readers’ attention on a daily basis and Mandy Fritz (2013) divides them into seven categories:

·         Human Interest: a story also known as “the story behind the story” are the best-known kind of features which discuss personal issues in an emotional way, usually through the experiences the others.

·         Historical Features:  a story that reminds people of significant events while commemorating important dates in history or turning points in our social, political and cultural development.

·         Profiles:  common type of feature that reveals an individual's lifestyle and character. Its main aim is to expose different sides of the subject so readers will feel like they know the person discussed.

·         How-To: a story that helps people learn by telling them how to do something. The writer explores the subject through personal experience, education, research or interview with an expert and shares the tips with the readers.

·         News Features: a story that offers a human-interest view on a hard news event

·         “The Best” Features: a story that usually includes the writer's personal experiences with a certain product. It includes proof and examples that the product is the best of its kind, as well as, information about where to get the product and how much it costs. The article usually has a catchy title.

·         Past Events Feature: a story that focuses on an historical event or celebration. The article typically includes research but is NOT an encyclopedia report. The article serves as a human-interest history lesson.

 

For me personally, the most appealing type is How-To features. For example, being an extremely creative person, I like to read stories that explain how you could create something only with materials that you have at home.

 

 Fritz, M. (2013, January). “7 Types of Feature Articles”. Retrieved October 26, 2013 from the Prezi Official Web site:

http://prezi.com/uyoop0ttwaka/7-types-of-feature-articles/

 

The Art of Being a Good Interviewer

 

  According to an old saying, “There is no such thing as stupid question” but on the other hand, according to numerous scholars there is such thing as less effective one. Interviewing is one of the most basic but simultaneously one of the most intimidating tasks in journalism. Some journalists are natural-born interviewers, while others never get entirely comfortable with the idea of asking strangers nosy questions. Therefore, this article aims at exploring some of the most significant and useful interviewing techniques in journalism.

  Too often journalists just start an interview with a handful of questions scribbled in their notebooks, without any sufficient preparation.  The former New York Times reporter Mirta Ojito shares that when interviewing experts, she “tries to know almost as much as they do about their subject, so it seems they are ‘chatting”. And yes, research is important! So, even though your time is shorter, just take it, bone up on your subject and impress your interviewee.

  I think that there is no doubt that the best questions are open-ended.  When you begin with “How?” “What?” “Where?” “When?” “Why?”, means that you encourage expansive answers that produce an abundance of information needed for a  complete and accurate story.  However, sometimes close-ended questions also have an important purpose and do not have to be underestimated (especially when you need a direct answer).  Therefore, it is of utmost importance to craft your questions in advance, in order to ensure you ask ones that start conversations rather than halt them in their tracks.

  Moreover, almost every interviewer fees uncomfortable in the beginning and mechanically tries to read out the list of questions. The thing is that you have to be as open and natural, as possible. Listen and explore all the time! Do not try to stay so focused on getting through your list of questions because you are much more vulnerable to miss an interesting detail.

  Last but not least, try to be a human first. Carolyn Mungo, executive news director at WFAA-TV claims that  “People have to see that journalists are not just a body behind a microphone. Even if you have five minutes, don’t rush, let them know you care”. Empathy is always significant!

  All in all, I can say that we, as future journalists have a lot more to study before we become the perfected interviewers. And practice but not theory is of utmost importance when you are trying to master your skills.

 

 

 

 

 

Affordable or Just Less-Expensive

Journalists’ attention has always been grabbed by the latest innovations in technology. As a young journalist-to-be I am also interested in what is going on in the world of technology. Of course when the words technology and innovations are combined in one sentence, the American multinational corporation Apple easily comes to mind. The article will analyze how exactly the journalists and freelance writers around the world have covered the launch of the new iPhone 5C.

   Apple has grown too fast just releasing one iPhone per year. That is why this month the company has launched two new models of iPhone instead of just one. Journalists around the world present iPhone 5S as the first 64‑bit smartphone, weather iPhone 5C is a cheaper version of iPhone 5, aimed at less wealthy countries where new Apple products have been desired but are out of reach because of their unaffordable prices.

 Daniel Eran, a tech consultant and freelance writer based in California, claims that “the lower-cost, colorful model, iPhone 5C (the C for color) comes in a plastic case and has the same features as the previous iPhone 5”. On the other hand, the company writes in their website that “Color is more than just a hue. It expresses a feeling. Makes a statement. Declares an allegiance. Color reveals your personality. iPhone 5c, in five anything-but-shy colors, does just that. It’s not just for lovers of color. It’s for the colorful!”.

 According to some of the journalists in front of whom new products have been launched, the official price of the iPhone 5C without a contract will be $550, only $100 less than the iPhone 5S. However, that is far higher than the range of $300 to $400 which many of them believe could help Apple against lower-cost competition. “Say what you want about those devices, we’re a little preoccupied with the different types of coverage we’re seeing from journalists covering the event”, claims  Joshua Schnell, one the journalists who were there.

 “When Apple launched its new iPhone 5C, the joke was that the C stood for “Cheap” and “China”. It’s true that the latest model is less expensive and will work on China Mobile’s upgraded network. But at more than $700, it’s still too expensive to appeal to the masses. Apple will need to do more to reverse its status as an also-ran in the world’s largest smartphone market. So what are you waiting for? If you need a new phone or just a new iPhone try 5C”, points the Reuters Breakingviews columnist- Ethan Bilby.

 Undoubtedly, the journalistic skepticism will be always there but we could not know until we try. So, if you need a new phone or just a new iPhone try 5C. If the price is not worthy, than at least the colors are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top-down Writing or the so Called Inverted Pyramid

 

 

 Why is it that some articles grab our attention immediately after reading the first paragraph, while others remain tedious until the very end?  Yes, journalism writing techniques exist for centuries. Without any doubt the most commonly used text-structure technique in news journalism and on the web is the so called “inverted pyramid”. According to many historians the inverted pyramid was invented by 19th century wartime reporters, who disseminated their stories by telegraph. They aimed at transmitting the most significant information first, just in case the transmission was interrupted.

  This top-down structure leads the majority of news reporting both in print media, as well as, on the web simply because it enables the reader to leave the story at any point and understand it, even without the details. The “base” of the inverted pyramid consists of the most important facts which appear at the top of the story, in the introduction paragraph. Less essential information appears in the paragraphs below, or “nut” graphs which are arranged in order of importance.

  By essential information we generally mean the “Five Ws” of journalism: What, When, Where, Who and Why (also How). An effective introduction paragraph communicates, the essential facts of who did what, where, when, why and how exactly. The paragraphs that follow contain supporting facts, key quotes, additional information, background and alternative explanations and least important information.

  Unfortunately like almost every other theory, the inverted pyramid also received some criticism from numerous media scholars. They critique it for being artless and not right for every news story. Moreover, editors claim that it leads to a decline in newspaper and magazine readership by presenting the ending first.

  According to me, turning the traditional pyramid writing style around is the key to grabbing your audience’s attention and ensuring that they are informed enough at any point or reading. Obviously, despite of all the critics, the inverted pyramid remains one of the most widely used approaches to mass media news writing.