After being a part of Concrete for a year, I was craving a taste of journalism over the summer break. This is when I took on a work experience position at a well-established newspaper.  

I spent my teenage years not only loving writing but rom-coms too and it was from there I got my first introduction to the industry.  

After watching Gilmore Girls, I aspired to attend university and take a direct flight into journalism after the appealing image the teen drama gave off.  

Whilst being on her university’s newspaper, Rory Gilmore wrote impactful stories that made a true difference to her respectful communities which portrayed journalism as an intellectually rewarding and prestigious career.  

My time inside the newsroom proved this wrong… 

The show overlooks the business side of journalism such as analytics and layups, tight deadlines and heavy workloads; forgetting that a lot of a journalist’s time is spent making phone calls and attending meetings. 

I was repeatedly told in the office that not every day is as fast paced as the publications would like. You cannot just create news stories from thin air. Rather, you must wait for something to happen which can lead to slower days. 

The Devil Wears Prada is another popular drama that shaped many people’s expectations on what the journalism industry is truly like.  

Fast-paced glamour, exclusive events and scary editors in charge is what is pushed forward by young, aspiring journalist Andy Sachs, the film’s protagonist. But again, that isn’t what journalism is all made up to be.   

You definitely need resilience to make it in the industry; it is more cut-throat than glamorous. Collaborative work is something that is actually encouraged within the workplace along with a bit of banter and an overall friendly environment.  

I for one experienced a heavy feeling of imposter syndrome on my first day, walking into the office filled with older businessmen (not to discard the few young women also working) but was welcomed in, nonetheless.  

As for prestige and exclusivity, swap out Chanel and Prada for business casual high-street brands and forget celebrity gossip as newspaper journalism focuses heavily on community issues rather than the pop culture, we endlessly consume on our phones each day.  

One of my personal favourite things about being in the newsroom was that everyone is sat altogether, working amongst each other no matter the job title – Miranda Priestly would never approve! 

Andie Anderson was easy-going and successful in making Journalism look as though it’s bursting with opportunities in How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days.  

Going out on unusual and creative assignments and turns a blind eye to the day-to-day realities of journalism: the imminent deadlines and accurate writing that really happens inside the office.   

The one thing these portrayals of journalism have in common is the luxurious, big city lifestyle the protagonists lead so early on in their careers. This isn’t the case for entry level jobs in the industry that involve a lot of learning and admin rather than breaking news stories.  

Across my week I was invited onto a lot of different tasks that provided a good insight to the industry: morning and afternoon meetings to check in with editors on deadlines, article performances and story leads. 

However, I would say the most exciting part of the job was getting to overhear snippets of upcoming stories within the newsroom, unlike the previously mentioned protagonists I only worked on press release articles and community investigation pieces.  

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try and romanticise my experience as a journalist across my week. I particularly enjoyed listening to The Devil Wears Prada soundtrack on my bus ride so at least I could pretend my life was as exciting as Andy Sachs! 

So after experiencing a week away from the films and in the real world, I learnt that everyone I was surrounded by in the industry was a friendly face; there wasn’t a big, scary editor in chief bossing me around but instead he created opportunities to encourage me to get stuck into the work.  

Some of the most important advice I was given by fellow journalists was to not overthink. Too often we can over-complicate things and forget to trust our gut or even use our common sense – if you are in the room, you are good enough to be there! 

If I could tell student journalists one thing it would be, don’t be afraid to reach out. You only get to places by asking and the worst that can happen is you receive a no. But there are so many opportunities out there so don’t be afraid to try them all… even if they’re nothing like the movies! 

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