Tag Archives: Journalism

Is Unpaid Work Experience Fair ?

Posted on by

Like all students desperate for a career in the media & journalism, I have done a few spells of work experience that have been unpaid. “Unpaid” is of course the word de rigeur of journalism internships in England because the bulk of them do not pay. They just don’t. It is the way the cookie crumbles and that is how it will remain for a while I am sure. However, is it fair ? Should we just stick with it ?

At the end of the day, I think most people who want to really get into journalism know that the pay is poor. I did work experience in a large British city where wages for regional newspaper journalists could be as low as £10,000 per annum! Yes, £10,000! Oh my WORD is the word for sure ! I could not believe it was as low as that. And mind you, this was not some random pocket in a valley, it was a large bustling British city, not the big L but large enough. Continue reading →

About these ads

What magazines do/don’t include

Posted on by

This article is very interesting with a twist on the recent nuptials of Beyonce and Jay-Z. The article discusses that many mainstream US gossip rags did NOT feature the couple on their cover. It does not take a member of MENSA to figure out that it is blatant disinterest in the couple, peppered by racism that has seen the couple barred. I am sure Bigga do not actually care because they seen like a private couple anyway but I just find it so fucking hypocritical of mainstream magazines to do shit like that. If you are a part of a mainstream mag that focuses on gossip, why ignore one of the most famous couples in the entire world ? Beyonce and Jay-Z are supernovas, they have had incredible amounts of success in their fields and are on equal ground unlike the Lindsay Lohan’s of the world. What the fuck has Lindsay Lohan done for that matter besides a spirited performance in Mean Girls ? That was yonks ago. I think gossip magazines are so short-sighted and that is why black blogs will continue to win this fight because if I want gossip information, I read the blogs, not the magazines. And this is coming from a magazine addict too! What an absolute scandal.

Editors really still think that only blond hair and blue eyes sell magazines

That quote really stands out, doesn’t it! It was from the article and I do think that is a really good general point about mags in the West. I find these sorts of topics fascinating and infuriating at the same time.

developing a thick skin – thoughts on “making it”

Posted on by

I have some great news to report. I got into the Masters programme that I applied to in London. The one that inspired this post. The one which I thought went badly. The university that I applied to is very competitive and known for churning some of the most prolific journalists in the UK. I know it is going to be super competitive. Even just going back to London for the interview has reminded me that it is going to be so harsh and tough there. London is completely different to the rest of England. That statement reeks of snobbery but it is the truth. There is this kind of indelible toughness that Londoners have and it is a city that is full of ambitious people. Continue reading →

Dilemma: Making it into Magazines ?

Posted on by

[Preface: Long, rambling post about my thoughts on magazine journalism]

Since the interview this week at the university in LDN (it was not good!), I have been trying to think of other options for magazine journalism. I am still waiting to hear from the other university that I applied to. If I don’t get into either unis, I will have to seriously think about what to do next (find a job or get on a NCTJ course). The impression I got from the lady at the uni this week was that there are two types of mags that graduates work on. Continue reading →

“Why do you want to be a journalist?”

Posted on by

That was one of the questions I got asked in my interview for the Masters course in London yesterday. The interview was….not great. I got asked some difficult questions! Being in London for the day yesterday was like stepping into another world! I am so used to going between Bristol and Tanzania all the time that going and spending time in London is like literally being on another planet. Everyone is bloody busy, walking and running past you and it is just so high-octane. I used to love that about the city but I think living in a small town has changed that a great deal for me. Continue reading →