A fortnight at The Times

Walking into the News International building on my first day to start work experience, I wasn’t sure how to feel. Standing in reception, I would gaze at the large glass interior, taking in where I would be working for the next two weeks. Feeling slightly lost in the crowds (literally sometimes in the lifts), I was nervous but determined to make these weeks productive as this was an opportunity I never thought I would get prior to UpRising.

I was initially placed on the foreign desk as I am particularly interested in foreign affairs. Clocks with different time zones adorned the wall and photographs showing the various travels of different journalists were hung on the picture board. On the foreign desk, I met some of the most talented journalists such as Martin Fletcher and Jerome Starkey, who for years have covered a number of fascinating stories and both of them travelling to some of the most volatile countries, determined to tell the world what is happening. For those who cannot simply travel across seas to understand the realities, journalism offers its readers a chance to escape and engage with a wide range of issues.  For me, I was always attracted to the idea of becoming a journalist because of their ability and power to tell stories. To have that power to captivate the minds of people and tell them stories of religions, cultures and practices so far away is the reason I wanted to pursue this career. It is incredibly important to me to represent the voiceless and journalism in my opinion combined my passion for writing with my desire to represent those very people.

Every morning at The Times begins with a coffee and conference, where the various subeditors and journalists meet with the Editor to discuss what should feature in the paper, in a room overlooking Tower Bridge and the London Eye. Conference was the highlight of my day as each morning was completely different from the last. I would sit at the back of the room observing the different personalities of each person and watch how they interacted. This is where the paper really came together and watching how the personalities and opinions of the journalists and editors combined to produce the paper fascinated me. I’ve imagined what working as a journalist would be like for years now. Researching and writing under tight deadlines in a caffeine laden office was the picture I etched in my head but this was far from reality (well apart from the caffeine laden office bit- journalists and editors I found love coffee and tea). The newsroom is a busy, high-pressured yet exciting environment, where journalists and editors are often interacting, coming up with the latest stories but it was an environment which also offered great support and encouragement.

This was an incredibly interesting time to be working at the The Times. The paper has for months now been riding the storm which has shaken up the journalism industry but the atmosphere in the offices remain optimistic and the journalists and editors continue doing what they do best. If it was not for Anoushka my mentor, I would not have been featured in the paper nor would I have met some of the most talented people in the field. From not having the faintest idea about journalism a year ago, to now having worked at one of the best selling newspapers in the UK really is an experience I will never forget.