My time in the newsroom
A one-month internship at Menara Star is the coveted prize awarded to top-performing participants of Star-NiE’s BRATs programme every year
THE first few images that popped into my head when I was offered an internship at The Star were those of people shouting headlines across the newsroom, stacks of newspapers pushed up against the walls, reporters with press cards tucked into their hats, a hub of bustle and activity and scandal.
In reality, the internship was a sojourn into the exposed ribcage of an incredibly aged beast. I was awed by the hallowed corridors, the never-ending clacking of keyboards as fingers worked furiously to produce the latest stories, the seriousness reflected on most faces of the journalists, and the silence that seemed to permeate the office during particularly stress-filled moments.
It seemed like a curtain had been pulled back, allowing me a glimpse into the hidden world of news.
In my short time with The Star, I had the opportunity to expand my skills through writing numerous articles. Some of these articles were co-written with either a senior reporter or a fellow intern, while others were solo pieces, which were quite a cause to be proud of.
I was taught how to transcribe snippets of audio interviews, sometimes in Malay. This challenged me to push my attention span to the fullest, owing to the horrendous hearing I seem to have acquired from using my headphones at full volume.
Furthermore, the internship gave me a well-needed confidence boost by forcing me to formulate interview questions and to call numerous people in an effort to jot their words down for various articles.
I learned which questions led to waterfalls of wisdom, and which merely led to dead-end, one-word answers. It shook away a large chunk of my hesitation to verbally communicate with others.
A rather memorable event happened during the final week of my internship – I was handed the task of finding meaningful stories for Christmas. I managed to wrangle an interview with the Lost Animal Souls Shelter founder and president Vignes Chelliah. At the time, the shelter was about to organise a charity bazaar to raise funds for its upkeep.
When the article was published, I hurriedly informed Vignes, who told me that enquiries had been flooding in about the bazaar, keeping her team and her busy. I felt like I had actively done something good for once, like I managed to help the community in some way. It was an amazing feeling, one which kept me glowing for days.
All in all, the internship offered me a valuable insight into the world I will join in a few years: a nine-to-five daily grind. More importantly, it also taught me to appreciate the dying art of print, which faces the daily struggle of trying to find a resurgence before its bright flame snuffs out completely.
Given a chance, I would definitely return to further enhance my experience, as well as open the already broad avenue into the wonderful world of journalism.