firstly.... I will state, media is not my choice of career... I came here for an admin position, but circumstances within the organisation saw me placed on a desk doing the job I do now. I am not a reporter, I'm in production, but I speak with first hand experience.
I got here at the start of the paper, everyone was gungho about being in a new country with new possibilities. The atmosphere was electric - our paper was made up of a few college grads, and quite a number of experienced hands.
Then come the blows - you cannot print anything vaguely opposite to government stances, you can only print press releases, and you are not allowed to change them, bad english or not... Trying to get interviews with people is like trying to reach the US president - impossible - phone call after phone call, lists of questions, approval of questions, wanting to see the story before it goes to print and then frequently changing or retracting statements - trust me when I tell you, its soul destroying to watch jounalists running around putting out fires because something that shouldn't have been printed was and now the poor guy/girl is getting stick from everyone because "he/she should have known better". Trying not to offend your sponsor, because you have printed a piece about a rival company's product in his newspaper(ie, he owns other businesses).
It's not easy being a reporter here, believe me - yes, sometimes we get sub-standard reporters who maybe couldn't cut it in their country, but for the most, they are eager to do the job - if only there was a job to do.
firstly.... I will state, media is not my choice of career... I came here for an admin position, but circumstances within the organisation saw me placed on a desk doing the job I do now. I am not a reporter, I'm in production, but I speak with first hand experience.
I got here at the start of the paper, everyone was gungho about being in a new country with new possibilities. The atmosphere was electric - our paper was made up of a few college grads, and quite a number of experienced hands.
Then come the blows - you cannot print anything vaguely opposite to government stances, you can only print press releases, and you are not allowed to change them, bad english or not... Trying to get interviews with people is like trying to reach the US president - impossible - phone call after phone call, lists of questions, approval of questions, wanting to see the story before it goes to print and then frequently changing or retracting statements - trust me when I tell you, its soul destroying to watch jounalists running around putting out fires because something that shouldn't have been printed was and now the poor guy/girl is getting stick from everyone because "he/she should have known better". Trying not to offend your sponsor, because you have printed a piece about a rival company's product in his newspaper(ie, he owns other businesses).
It's not easy being a reporter here, believe me - yes, sometimes we get sub-standard reporters who maybe couldn't cut it in their country, but for the most, they are eager to do the job - if only there was a job to do.
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