Although I have been working as a journalist and have been gaining much journalism experience through working with MBN’s “Alhurra TV”, I always had the desire to be part of the VOA team and to know more about Voice of America and how it works. So I decided to apply for an internship at VOA to improve my journalism skills and to understand the process of VOA radio, TV, production, communication, social media, and news writing.
Through the internship program, I learned many new things and got experience in professional journalism elements such as radio production, news writing, editing, researching, and how to prepare news reports. I also worked on TV productions and I experienced how studio teams are working on their program and in the newsroom.
The learning opportunities at VOA were very useful and helped me to improve my skills in radio and television work. My internship included classes and workshops like tours through the VOA studios and the control rooms, investigative reporting workshops, career days, DALET Plus and DALET RSHD training, DP Web Space training, an introduction to radio, Drone Journalism, Copyrights, and News feed usage, producer training, and Radio Suite training.
During my internship, I spent a month at the Kurdish Language Service and I worked on Kurdish TV and radio programs. In my opinion, it was really amazing and will be very useful in helping me reach my goals as a journalist. My team was very accommodating and made me feel like a real part of the team. My coworkers are professional journalists who work on serious tasks involving great responsibility.
While interning at VOA I have also been a student in the Executive Masters in International Relations Program at the Syracuse University’s Maxwell School in Washington DC. As a student I learned about public diplomacy and how American diplomacy is making the policy and strategy to communicate with other countries under an International Relations umbrella. Throughout my internship, I had the chance to experience VOA’s work in telling America’s story.
In my opinion, VOA’s internship program provides a valuable opportunity to develop journalistic skills and to learn about VOA’s important role as a platform for free expression and an independent and professional press. This internship strengthened my own journalistic skills and provided me with a deep insight into VOA’s work and the world of professional journalism. I worked with a talented and kind team on serious and important tasks and I wished I had more time for my internship at VOA.