Internship on the Books and House & Home sections by Hester Vaizey

Thursday, 25 March 2010

When I first talked to journalist-friends about joining their merry band, the response was overwhelmingly cautionary: due to the recession and the challenges presented by the internet, they warned, the future of newspapers is uncertain. Keen to get some hands-on experience myself, and firm in the belief that people will always want to know what is going on, I nonetheless applied to the Financial Times for an internship.

Coming to the end of my first week on the Books and House & Home sections of the FT Weekend, I’ve already learned so much. From day one I was trusted with writing the weekly ‘On Show’ column for the weekend property supplement. The House and Home editor took the time to explain the changes he had made to what I had written, making me keen to incorporate his helpful pointers in the column for the following week.

A few days into the internship, the books editor asked me to write a review – now I need to come up with some searingly insightful remarks to justify my by-line! Ploughing through publishers’ catalogues, I’ve also been helping to choose which books to review. On discovering that a favourite author of mine is releasing a book next month, I pitched it to the books editor, who was really open to the idea and suggested I order a copy from the publishers.

It is great to be empowered and interning in a place where my work has a real impact on the pages that go to print.

Two Sections: One Intern – The Books/House & Home Internship Shane Murphy

Thursday, 25 February 2010

My real introduction to the FT came after my whirlwind tour of the building and the ceremonial sitting-in at the Monday morning editorial conference. Within two minutes of arriving at the Books desk, an editor handed me an essay by a prominent British journalist along with the instructions, “Tell me what you think of this.” Despite having no experience working for a newspaper, let alone a global and influential newspaper, my feedback was considered by the editors and most of my suggestions were passed on to the author. The following Saturday I got the humble thrill of seeing some of my editorial changes adapted into the weekend books essay.

From that start, the pace has only accelerated as I have been immersed eyebrow-deep in the dual worlds of Books and House & Home. It becomes instantly clear when you arrive in the editorial room that the weekend edition is a massive collaborative effort. Through reading proofs and fact-checking articles, I quickly became integrated with the teams of editors in both sections. Few things went into the Book or House & Homes section that I hadn’t made some tiny factual or typographical adjustment to.

This past week my responsibilities have expanded beyond the minute details. I have been travelling around London interviewing architects for an article that I’m writing. And just yesterday I was asked to write a short book review.

After a few weeks of being here, your input is given due consideration and the editors are happy to provide feedback on your progress. There is never a shortage of things you can learn or opportunities to get involved.

Life and Arts by Alex Jones

Thursday, 18 February 2010

So, I went into the morning meeting on my first day, and Lionel Barber says, ‘where are you from’? And I say, ‘Sheffield’. He looks at me a little strangely, but moves on. The new intern next to me (read her illuminating blog below) says ‘Channel Four’ and I think, dear lord, of course he didn’t mean where in the country – what an idiot. Word of warning: don’t let the nerves speak for you, especially when the person you’re speaking to is The Editor (notice the capitalisation, like God.)

My time on the FT Life and Arts desk has been vastly enjoyable. From the basics like collating information for the forward events list and fact-checking articles, to the more advance stuff like researching and writing sidebars and pitching ideas, my time here has meant that I have come to be familiar with the workings of the desk and of the paper as a whole. What has struck me most has been the sense of inclusion; everyone, from editors to subs to pictures, has gone out of their way to involve me in the all the processes of the section.

This inclusion, the feeling that I was really part of the team, has given me the confidence to voice my ideas and opinions safe in the knowledge that they would, at least, be considered. In the world of the intern I have found that this kind of confidence, wherein one feels valued and respected, is a rare and precious commodity and should the opportunity arise for me to answer any other questions for Mr. Barber, I think I would put it to good use.

The World News Desk by Hannah Murphy

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Monday morning, I arrived at the FT with two large bags. It wasn't the intention to arrive for the long-term although I've become rather enamoured with the moneyless system of lunching, the rivers views and free coffee. My reason for carrying large bags into the FT offices was that I have been 'on the road', a euphemistic term for 'gainfully employed in television'. My background is making current affairs documentaries. This is obviously an entirely different gig and as I stood in the FT foyer, it dawned on me, three rolls of gaffer tape, a screw-driver, lens cleaner and a head torch weren't going to be helpful.

Inductions, tours and straight into the morning conference. I was asked the question 'where are you from?' by the editor 30 minutes into my first day and not sure how to answer with any gusto, I promptly said 'Channel 4 or I was' and stared at my shoes - the confusion of a freelancer.
Today begins my third week on the World News Desk. Before I started I had visions of a frenetic office buzzing, glowing, ringing. That is exactly what I encountered, an exciting freneticism, a rare breed of freneticism, freneticism with poise.

Coming from television, I always had the luxury to digest and investigate a story for several months. Here, the stories are pinging off the walls faster than I can blink. Slowly, I'm beginning to find my feet in world events. I can talk at length about the seal population and GDP of Nunavut and the going rate for an ox and plough in Juba (100,000 SDD). I'm learning the style in which the FT is bound together and trying to bend my 'human story' leaning towards world economics and international relations - an excellent discipline and one as hearty as Guinness.

I need to eat more oily fish and listen to vast quantities of classical music to expand my brain so over the next two weeks I can improve on the following:
--collecting and processing data/statistics as part of a story package
--writing exhilarating copy at great speed
--produce headlines that do not require amendment
--my fear of publishing directly online
--the poise

One Day in the Life of a Magazine Intern... by Stephen Morris

Friday, 12 February 2010

Once I got over my initial awe at actually being allowed (invited!) inside the Financial Times building – a charming obsidian fortress – I was put at ease by the friendly editorial assistant, William. I was led on a swift tour of the open-plan newsroom and had all my questions answered with admirable patience, William being used to the nervous ramblings of naïve interns.

The highlight of my first day came soon, when I was allowed to sit in on the paper’s morning conference. Experiencing the Zen-like calm of editor Lionel Barber as he manages the post-mortem of the previous issue and plans the next is a treat, and you may even be invited to splutter out your name and position if you fail to sufficiently blend into the surroundings.

I then joined my friendly Weekend Magazine team clustered on the second floor, where they explained my basic duties and discussed my aims for my time with them.

I am delighted to report that, as has been the case with all my predecessors, my experience at the magazine has been immensely rewarding and not at all menial.

Unless you are an abnormally precocious talent (think a young Martin Amis or Zadie Smith, and even then…) you are unlikely to write the lead feature during your tenure. However, observing the editorial process which a writer must navigate to get published will set you in very good stead for the future.

Interns are invited to attend all editorial meetings where pitches are discussed and flat plans are finessed, and will likely bump into some of the FT’s big names who frequently contribute to the magazine. As my internship coincided with the early flickers of election fever, I eagerly absorbed the insight of the Westminster team as they threw around ideas for their upcoming reportage.

My main daily duties were fact-checking and proof-reading articles for accuracy (a surprisingly demanding task), researching for staff, liaising with PRs and agents, and updating the Twitter page. I presided over an 8.42 per cent increase in followers – a towering achievement in today’s crowded world of social media.

The team also strongly encourage their interns to pitch ideas for the various recurring short features in the magazine and offer to write short book reviews. I found the attitude – quite rightly – to be “Ask not what the magazine can do for you…”, an important lesson for young journalists to learn.

Whilst not every piece will be printed, they will always provide admirably frank feedback on the writing and content. This was perhaps the most valuable aspect of my internship: an insight into the exacting levels of excellence demanded by the FT. I was fortunate enough to see my name in the magazine and on the website in my second week. Although comparatively small-fry, it’s still good for that frisson of pride. After all, Bob Woodward was fired from his first job as an intern runner.

Considering the parlous state of the British media and the stiff competition for the few remaining jobs, proving oneself through internships is now a prerequisite. This is why my internship at the Financial Times has been invaluable. There is no other publication which arouses so much attention from prospective employers, and, as I have found out, with good reason.

Eight Point Two on Nine Point Five by Chris Tosic

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

I started Monday morning with a swift guided tour of the building and an overview of the busy hub that produces the excellent Financial Times newspaper and website. This was followed by the Monday morning editorial meeting which both critiqued the weekend paper and developed the on going political, financial and market stories for the day(s) ahead.

I was then introduced to the graphics team, a really cool bunch of people and all very welcoming. After some brief design chat I was then allocated a computer, and a few passwords later I had my first look at Xsmile and Methode, the core applications which pull all the newspaper content together to realize the paper itself. (Next week I will have specific training for these applications so its read-only access for now!)

My first job, using InDesign, was to look at the skyline area on the front cover of the FT paper itself. Nothing like starting with something simple! I was fooled, this turned into two days days of intense design analysis; working with a small group of FT typefaces (BentonSans, MillerDisplay and Clarion), plus a 40 mm high working area I grappled with all the ‘elements of typographic style’ that is the FT. Subtle hierarchy shifts, text on and off the baseline grid, playful colour interactions and discrete tracking, kerning and leading. For all you typography freaks out there 8.2/9.5pt refers to the main body text, I’m sorry but that sort of info interests me!

Anyway, Its now Thursday and I have been set a slightly more involved task of creating a kind of future index listing of possible articles that will appear later in the week advertising different writers and stories that the FT are following. It certainly got me thinking too, but that said I now have 135 mm of space across 6 columns, yeah, all is good on the graphic intern desk ... later.

Interning on the Interactive Desk by Cornelia Treptow

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

My internship at the Financial Times began in the building's reception where I met another new intern. We spent a few minutes learning a bit about each other before being given a whirlwind tour of the editorial floors. It was certainly exciting to witness first-hand the behind-the-scenes of such an iconic newspaper, and the tailored tour made us feel welcome from the very beginning. After the tour we were invited to attend the morning meeting, known as Conference, during which the editors discuss that day’s paper and what to prepare for the next day. This provided an excellent insight into the newspaper’s editorial process.
 
During my time at the FT no two days were really the same though my overall responsibility was to provide support for the interactive team working on FT.com. Some days were spent researching how subscribers use the FT’s blogs and website comment functions whilst others involved preparing web-posts themselves. In addition, I helped by researching background information and facts for a number of projects for the website. Beyond this, I was tasked with preparing a timeline of key events during President Obama’s first year in office, and then searching for links and pictures to accompany each of the events. This was particularly interesting as it allowed me to observe how a project evolves from being just an idea to a finished product that is ready for the website. 
 
Away from simply working at the desk, I was invited to watch the recording of one of the FT podcasts. Jumping at the opportunity, I was shown how the recording equipment works, what the producer’s role is and then later how to edit podcasts and post them onto the web. After being shown, I was able to edit and post on my own.
 
Halfway through my second week, I spent a day with an IT expert getting one-on-one tuition about the software that is used to put the paper together, how the FT uses it and the process a story goes through from its initial writing to it appearing in the newspaper and on the website. This was really fascinating, and a great way to understand how the work I was doing at a desk related to the website and the finished paper itself.
 
In all, I’ve had a wonderful experience at the FT and would recommend it as an opportunity not to be missed. Everyone I have worked with has not only been welcoming and friendly but also patient and willing to take the time to ensure that I understand different processes and how my work will be used. My parting advice to future interns would be to make the most of your time at the FT; you’ll certainly get more out of it if you put more in.