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7 December 2010
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15 December 2010

JMSC Winter Internships

The JMSC has placed more than 50 students in internships in media organisations over the winter break.

Both Master of Journalism and Bachelor of Journalism students are taking up work placements in Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world. Companies taking JMSC students include Time Out HK, the South China Morning Post, China Daily, Al Jazeera, the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, SunTV, BBCCNN, ABCNew York Times, the Times of India, the Phnom Penh Post, the Jakarta GlobeUSA Today, Malaysiakini and more.

More than 70% of all Master’s students have been found media placements. The other 30% are completing other projects or have other commitments over the winter break.

Wei Wei (MJ 2011)

Wei Wei, a mainland Chinese Master of Journalism student, is interning at SunTV, a mainland station that’s opening up in Hong Kong.

“SunTV started recently enabling me to participate in much of the organising and founding work,” said Wei who, comes from Hebei, near Beijing, and who went to college in Shenzhen. “I have witnessed how a TV station is founded from the very beginning, which is a very valuable experience. SunTV makes news programmes and documentaries of a very high quality; I have admired their trial period and like their ideas, and I’m sure I can benefit a lot from my internship here.”

Wei hopes to be able to help make TV programmes and documentaries while she’s at Sun TV. “I also want to learn how to cooperate with others in a news room,” she said.

Jennifer Jett (MJ 2011)

Jennifer Jett, an American Master of Journalism student, is interning at the Jakarta Globe, the largest English language newspaper in Indonesia. “I wanted to intern at the Jakarta Globe because it has a good reputation, plus I wanted to go to a country where I’d never been before” said Jett. “I’m hoping to gain experience in different areas of the newsroom, learn about Indonesia and add a few clips to my portfolio.”

Before coming to the JMSC, Jett spent three years in Beijing, where she taught English and later worked as a copy editor for a weekly news magazine. This is Jett’s second internship organised through the JMSC; her first one was to the International Herald Tribune this Autumn.

Shari Nijman (MJ 2011)

Shari Nijman, a Master of Journalism student from the Netherlands, is also interning at the Jakarta Globe.

Nijman hopes to gain experience in a newsroom, practice pitching stories and get to do some real life reporting.  “I hope to toughen up a bit about interviewing people, especially when I’m not completely familiar with the subject or with a country’s customs,” she said. “So far I’m getting all of that in this internship.” Nijman is writing a blog about her experience, which you can read here.

Zhuang Xueya (MJ 2011)

Zhuang Xueya, a mainland Chinese Master of Journalism student, is interning at the New York Times as a researcher in Shanghai. Xueya comes from Shanghai and studied Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. She is hoping to improve her English language skills as well as her journalism while doing her Master’s at the JMSC.

“As one of the most prestigious news organizations, the NYT is a Mecca for journalism students, and I am thrilled to be part of it,” she said. “For me, a newcomer to the world of journalism, what I am expecting of the internship is to cooperate with outstanding correspondents and researchers and to experience the challenging, yet fruitful, newsroom life.”

The JMSC has a vast network of contacts in the media world and more than ten years experience of placing students in internships. Internships give students valuable work experience to put on their CVs and often lead to full-time jobs.

“Internships have always been an integral part of the MJ and BJ programme,” said Professor Ying Chan, the Director of the JMSC. “The excellent placement results is a testament to the quality of our students and the outstanding efforts by our faculty and staff. We are also grateful to the industry for offering such wonderful learning opportunities to our students.”