What did you do at The Sun and what department were you with?
I had work experience for ten days at The Sun and I was with the Search Engine Optimisation team led by Thomas Mackie and supervised by Christina Walker.
I worked on researching information for articles, finding pictures to add and learned how to structure an article in The Sun’s style.
How did you get this opportunity and how did you find working with the team?
I got this amazing opportunity through Ability Today, the institution that partnered with the NCTJ where I did my Certificate in foundation journalism.
The SEO team not only made reasonable adjustments for me but made sure I felt comfortable and understood my various tasks. They were very accommodating when it came to answering my questions and I was able to learn a lot from them, not just about The Sun itself, but the media industry in general.
Whilst I was there, I experienced what it was like in real time when a breaking news story came through; the death of OJ Simpson. The atmosphere completely changed with not just members of the SEO team but others surrounding us pivoting from their earlier tasks. Their focus switched to gathering all the available information to craft the article with as much detail as they could before publishing it. The moment was surreal and one I’ll never forget given how it reminded me just how fast paced and competitive the media is today in real time.
What were the challenges you faced?
Navigating into central London was difficult at first. Due to some of my additional needs, I needed to practise the route before my first day to lessen my nerves. It took a couple of tries before I understood but when I did things were much easier.
How did it feel to have your articles published?
When I first arrived for my work experience I never expected to have any articles that I worked on whilst I was there be published.
But the moment it happened the moment was surreal as cliché as this may sound. But it was a moment I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
The three pieces I did or helped to do were the pieces for the Ambition cruise ship, the discontinuation of Echo bars, and a guide to removing lily pollen stains from carpets.
What are your next steps?
Right now I’m working on upskilling in terms of interview techniques and job seeking. I’d hope to get an apprenticeship in the journalism field where I can hone my writing skills to get better at feature writing.
“Thanks to Ability Today I got the chance to do work experience with one of the most well-known media outlets in the country, The Sun. I learned not only how to write pieces in their style, but about the media industry in general. This was a special experience that I’ll never forget and I’ll always be grateful that Ability today was able to give me this fantastic opportunity.” Ella Brown
By Ella Brown
Alumni CFJ Student with The Academy of Disabled Journalists.