Diary of an MJ Internship at Thomson Reuters

Andrew Willis (MJ 2011) interned at Thomson Reuters PR for two months this summer.

Andrew Willis (MJ 2011) at Thomson Reuters

“Thomson Reuters PR is the public relations branch of the company that establishes and strengthens relationships with stakeholders through strategic postitioning, such as data provision to the journalistic community or event management for media coverage,” said Willis.

Here is his diary of his first three weeks on the job:

Week 1

“First week in the office and I’m off to the races: Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Nissan Motor Company is speaking at a Thomson Reuters event in Tokyo next week and I’ve got to make sure the right media and bloggers hear about it in advance. Dividing up the media landscape among colleagues, I scan for relevant news outlets in Australia and New Zealand, managing to develop the right assortment of channels just in time.”

Week 2

“You can imagine that the world’s leading intelligence-provider would have quite a media list. This week, my focus is to optimise that list for the Asia-Pacific region. It’s a privilege to work with such valuable information, likely within the largest media network on this side of the globe. Coming from an international network of journalists at the JSMC, it’s easy for me to understand that the best stories today bring a global perspective – and it’s my job to provide the data that makes that possible. This resource is now ready for the next big announcement.”

Week 3

“Our department is constantly scanning the news-sphere for company mention. While our final goal is good publicity for our brand, products and services, we aim for a process that is mutually beneficial. This week, my colleagues have been working with journalists, helping to develop their latest stories. Once their work hits the press, I’ll be there to pick up the citations and highlight this work in a full wrap-up report on this week’s media exposure.”

Read more internship diaries over the summer on the JMSC website.