Marjorie Dean Fellowship Review

It was a great insight into what life at The Financial Times is like as I was treated no differently to full time journalists. There is a lot of change occurring in the industry, and The Financial Times is well placed to meet the growing challenges caused by digitalisation. I myself became aware that remote ways of working are becoming increasingly adopted by even The Financial Times, which is a newspaper that traditionally relies a lot on on-the-ground coverage.

I have learnt a lot of skills both theoretical and practical, which will help me in my future career in journalism. I learnt to converse with a range of stakeholders in the industry and managed to secure contacts within the industry. I also learnt how to network. There were technical skills such as proficiency with Microsoft Office that I developed throughout the course of my internship. These proved invaluable for both the internship and beyond.

All throughout I was given a lot of responsibility. This included things such as data protection and GDPR compliance, having had sessions at the beginning on how to pitch stories and use appropriate tones of voice, and of course The Financial Times' own style guide. This responsibility increased over time as I grew more comfortable in my role. I was also able to pitch and write my own stories for submission to the newspaper towards the end.

I was given plenty of support to develop my journalistic capabilities - not only on the editorial side of things but also the production side of things. It helped me enormously with securing a job in this difficult era of COVID-19. It did not help me so much with university, given that I had finished university by the time I embarked on my internship, but it did give me the additional ease of mind going into exams that I had something lined up for afterwards.

As I was the only intern during my six months, I was treated very well. Many newspapers are grappling with the effects of COVID-19 but The Financial Times are coping better thanks to their global coverage and pool of journalists. This made for a positive atmosphere in what is an uncertain time for journalism. There was a bit of uncertainty regarding the extent to which employees may need to work remotely in future, but this is an issue not unique to the Financial Times.

I really enjoyed my four weeks at The Financial Times - it was a great insight into the ins and outs of newspaper writing. As The Financial Times have more of a global perspective on things than other newspapers, this aligned with my interests more than if I were undertaking work experience elsewhere. This is embodied throughout the newspaper - from the types of articles it produces to the commentary section and online features, which enable much debate and discussion.

Yes

The journalism industry is very cut throat. I was applying for a very competitive internship, which required me to draw upon my experiences and passion for journalism. However, with the industry coming under increasing pressure to comply with regulations, you need to demonstrate why you also have a more humanistic side to you. The people behind the headlines are also human beings, and you need to be able to show respect to everyone you encounter.