A batch of mass media students recently concluded one week of internship at The Tribune and experienced the hectic stressful life of print journalism. Organized in Chandigarh and Ludhiana bureaus, the internship was a blend of newsroom exposure, editorial guidance, and veteran guidance in general.
The method was learned through interactive copy-editing and article-writing sessions during the one-week course. Students were forced to work under professional journalists, who imparted their craft in news writing and copy-editing for the newspaper. Students learned the art of news writing—objectivity, accuracy, and capacity to narrate a story—through such sessions.
Other than the editing course, the internship also involved a special design and layout course for students whereby they studied newspaper page layout. From choosing fonts to putting photographs in their location, they studied how graphics maximize the reader experience and how designing assists in how information can be presented in the best possible manner.
Collaboration with The Tribune's design and editorial crew gave students an understanding of the coordinating effort involved in producing a daily newspaper. The buzz of activity available behind the scenes at The Tribune offices, combined with input from experienced professionals, made for an educational experience.
It was the students' initial experience being part of an active newsroom. "It was more than an internship—it was an introduction to the real world of journalism," said one student intern. "We learned about the necessity, discipline, and ethics that go into every story that is published."
The internship attested the success of experiential learning in journalism and encouraged the students to engage in the media industry in the future.
