FORMER New Era intern João Adriano (23) says his first expectation of working for the publication was to learn more about the media industry and acquire more skills because qualifying in a particular field alone is not enough for one to succeed.

He added that because of the scarcity of jobs in the country, the corporate world, industry and government should create space to expose new graduates and those about to graduate, to the industries with career paths they intend pursuing.

The television producer who did his internship with the daily’s online platform New Era Online (NEO) said “being a television production graduate, I was taught how to write and compose a news article. I have learned journalism and multimedia in depth and how to properly livestream across platforms.”

He added: “Exposure is crucial for new graduates. Shadowing is key as it exposes an individual to the industry before officially joining it. This is why experience in the field is important for it gives an advantage per se in terms of job hunting.”

“Multimedia drew my attention the most because I believe in visual storytelling, but the fact that I also had a chance to do journalism was a cherry on the cake for me,” said the College of the Arts graduate.

Fellow graduate and former intern Imelda Munika concurred, stating that coming from the background of multimedia, writing was something she also had to learn.

“Writing articles for print was difficult because coming from the background of multimedia, writing was not part of the work most of the time but I got to learn how to write articles for a newspaper,” she said.

Munika stated that when writing an article, she focused on the topic and why people would be interested in it. “I looked for the impact it would have on our readers’ lives and how people with different backgrounds could have a different perspective on a common topic. I also included examples of real-life situations so the readers could relate to the article,” stated Munika.

The vibrant filmmaker also mentioned that one of the important steps for young professionals taking up internships at certain institutions is sometimes centered around the reputation and image that company has upheld, making it a favourable working environment to be in.

“I have always admired the stories the New Era publishes. The publication has a reputation for integrity, honesty, and investigative excellence. New Era also has one of the largest circulations which would enable my stories to reach many readers and viewers, I loved contributing to the publication’s ongoing success,” she stated as her internship came to an end last week.

Munika said: “One of the most difficult things was getting people to talk to me, people are often too reluctant to speak to the media and it can be hard to convince them to open up. Another challenge was dealing with deadlines, but it was fun. The internship coming to an end is one of the biggest challenges because then I have to go to a different environment to start all over again.” Media professional Terence Mukasa told Youth Corner the experience was educational and engaging.

“I was exposed to well-organised and valued journalists at the publication who guided and nurtured me to be the journalist I am today. The environment is favourable and vibrant enough for an intern to grasp the lessons needed to carry out a task,” said Mukasa who is a sports producer at Future Media stationed at One Africa Television.

The journalist enthused that the internship tested his versatility in covering youth, entertainment, community stories, and sports. “Most of all, with New Era, I was more exposed to different types of niches.
As an intern, being exposed to different
 types of stories, and ideas moulds one into being a good reporter,” he stated.

An intern who also recently completed her training Jaenique Swartz said the newsroom instilled confidence that she once fell short of and this was boosted by the feedback received on her writing from the editors.

“My overall experience at New Era was nothing short of constant invigorating new experiences and challenges that resulted in immense growth as a writer. I was very privileged to have worked with some of the best journalists out there and I have learnt so much from the ones who have opened their doors to deliver constructive feedback. The newsroom was never dull, perhaps on a Friday but that’s just what one can expect,” she recalled.The daily has taken up its corporate social responsibility to give opportunity to young professionals in the industry to shadow journalists, learn more about the industry, and prepare them for the real world of media.

The Namibian government has taken note of the important role interns play in the various markets, hence the finance ministry allocated N$126 million for internship.

“We inform the introduction of the Internship Tax Incentive Programme aimed at further incentivising employers to enrol more interns by providing an additional corporate tax deduction,” said finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi during the tabling of the 2024/2025 budget.

- psiririka@nepc.com.na