The support of newcomer journalists is something that really concerns me. One of the reasons why is probably that I can remember my first steps in journalism very well. And how many books I read. I really had no idea: What shall I study? What kind of internships should I pass? What about going abroad? What kind of Journalism School is the best one? Shall I pass a traineeship or not? And if yes, where? There were so many questions in my head and I had to search for the answers on my own. So, it is a pleasure for me now, if I can help young journalists to get along in a better way.
In October 2010 I talked at the Youth Media Days in Munich about “First Steps in Journalism” and ran a radio workshop about “Writing for Listening”. I like working with newcomers, I like it very much. Perhaps because I am not that old either… in April 2010, for example, I led a radio workshop for six young journalists in Berlin at the “European Youth Media Convention”. We created a radio program altogether of about 20 minutes. This was a lot of fun – and it was a good experience for the participants, I guess. In future I would like to intensify this commitment and hold more workshops for journalists – in Germany and also abroad.
Besides my training work I am a tutor for a young journalist. It’s a project of the German Young Press and www.jungejournalisten.de. To be a tutor means that I help this young journalist as well as I can: I share my experiences with her, I help her to plan her internships, I check her applications, sometimes I check her articles and I also help her with my contacts. The young journalists who participate in this project are mainly 18, 19 years old – at the end of their high-school and before starting their studies. It is possible to apply for this program every year, detailed information you can find on the website of the Youth Press at www.jugendpresse.de.