On 20 April 2018, Times NIE conducted its annual entrance exam for the Times NIE Summer Training Programme 2018-19, to select meritorious students. Anoushka Basu, student of class XI of The Indian School, was shortlisted from amongst many students from various schools across Delhi- NCR for the prestigious internship.
The interns, from classes X to XII, got an opportunity to work with the TOI national editorial team from 21 to 29 May. There were numerous activities to help understand the finer details of writing and presentation of a story. All these were aimed at providing the interns with a hands-on experience in journalism.
Through the first few days, senior members of the editorial team lectured on the profession and shed light on the life of a person working with an enormous enterprise like The Times of India.
The interns were made aware of the qualities one must inculcate for the job and the importance of maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the report. The interns were instructed on how to develop a good news sense and procure the right information from the reporter, with regard to a particular event or crime.
Mrs Pratigyan, a member of the editorial team, gave the participants pointers on how one should sequentially structure an article, condense all the facts, and provide quotes from the impacted common people and the concerned authorities. She highlighted the significance of the 5Ws and 1H- What, When, Why, Who, Where and How- in writing an introduction while reporting hard news.
Students were divided into groups and assigned topics to write articles. These articles were read aloud and discussed the next day. It was announced that the same would be published in the NIE Edition in the month of July!
The interns were familiarised with many other facets of work that fall under the umbrella of journalism. They were briefed on the nitty-gritty of reporting, interviewing, photography and editing for a news piece.
The activities included a mock newsroom in which each intern was allocated a role such as an editor, reporter, politician, doctor, etc. The NIPAH virus breakout in the state of Kerala was to be reported. This was followed by interviews, a press conference, giving ideas to make one's own national daily, and so on.
On the last day of the programme, the students visited The Times of India printing press at Sahibabad where they were given a tour of the factory. An elaborate explanation ensued on the different machines and their respective roles in printing millions of copies of the newspaper every single day.This was followed by a discussion on whether print or hardcopy newspapers were still a viable source of information in todays world, and how they hold an upper hand as compared to online news or the news channels on television.
Finally, each intern submitted their articles and reports to be reviewed by the editorial team. The efforts of the participants were appreciated ,and each of them received a "Letter of Recommendation" by the Editor in Chief.
The training programme was a wonderful experience. I thank my School and The Times of India for giving me this opportunity to learn a great deal through this project. By Anoushka Basu XI-B
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