A day as an intern at the Leidsch Dagblad
The Journalism and New Media study programme is celebrating its 20th anniversary. On the occasion of the anniversary, student Iris Kole gives a glimpse of her day as an intern at the Leidsch Dagblad.
07:30
After one last snooze, I get out of bed to start my morning. I have a busy day ahead of me at the editorial office of the Leidsch Dagblad.
08:00
After breakfast, I read the Leidsch Dagblad to see what my colleagues have written and whether my piece from yesterday, about the closure of rapid delivery service Getir in Leiden, made the paper. Even after two months of interning, it's still great to see your own stories in print.
09:00
I step out of the door to go to work. The editorial office is close to my house, so I can walk there without hurrying.
09:30
We start with the daily meeting. Each morning, we discuss what was good about yesterday's newspaper and what could be improved. Afterwards, everyone gets a chance to tell us what he or she is going to write that day.
10:00
I prepare an interview and check if there is any other news to write about. A colleague tips me about an important presentation at the space research centre in Noordwijk that might be interesting for an article. I immediately call the organisation to ask if I can attend the presentation next week.
13:00
After lunch, I go out to interview a student from Hungary about what it's like to be an international student in Leiden. As an intern, you are often offered topics to write about, but this article was my own idea. I want to make it as good a story as possible.
I discuss at length with the student why he came to study in the Netherlands and what the challenges are that come with it. This way I gain a completely different perspective on studying.
15:00
When the interview is over, I go back to the editorial office. I use my notes to elaborate on the interview and try to do as much justice as possible to this student's story. Then I make sure that the photos accompany the article and that the layout is correct.
17:00
After a few hours of hard work, the article is finished. My editorial supervisor reads it and gives tips on how to improve it. Once the final touches have been made, I can send the article to the Leidsch Dagblad website myself.
18:00
When I get home, I quickly check whether the article is on the website. Yes, there it is, at the top of the website with my name underneath. Whether it appears in the next day’ paper depends on which articles have been written that day, so it’s always a surprise.