At the beginning of June, I was lucky enough to be part of the Guardian Positive Action Scheme, a two-week internship based at the Guardian Life offices in King’s Cross. The scheme is designed to provide experience and insight into the journalistic profession for people from minority groups, in order to make the profession more representative.
I applied more as an exercise in writing applications than with any real expectation of gaining a place. I only ventured into journalism in May of last year. The combination of my cerebral palsy and extreme dyslexia had long discouraged me from pursuing such a notoriously competitive field. But with the help of the social enterprise Ability Today, I’ve been working towards my Certificate in Foundation Journalism.
Bearing all of this in mind, I approached my first day with a growing sense of trepidation.
The journalists I worked alongside couldn’t have been more supportive. My first week was spent as a member of the It’s Complicated production team, a long-form investigative YouTube channel, researched and presented by a fantastic team.
I was welcomed enough to be pitching new concepts almost constantly or doing research for ideas already in development. At the time I’d normally be drinking my morning coffee, I was combing through investment portfolios or suggesting visuals for a new video. Far from feeling out of place, I had to remind myself that I was, in fact, an intern and not a permanent member of the team.
In my second week, I moved to the Communities desk. The appeal of journalism for me has always been listening to and sharing people’s stories, so this felt like a good fit too.
Although high pressure at times (when you hear “internship,” you think dry-cleaning and coffee runs, not commissions), I had the chance to publish three times while working with Communities. The topics ranged from gaming to cash hoarding, and the encouragement I received from Caroline Bannock and the wider team was genuinely inspiring.
The timing of my placement couldn’t have been better. The Israel–Iran crisis was unfolding, and the news about Air India broke while I was in the building, a truly surreal experience. Closer to home, the PIP reform rebellion and Assisted Dying Bill were both crucial national stories.
I found myself in a position where I could hear about these stories directly from expert journalists who, at times, even asked for my opinion.
One of the things that struck me was how I felt comfortable enough to focus my full attention on the content of the stories. When you have a disability, part of your attention is consumed by navigating your own challenges. The better you become at this, the harder they are for people to see. This allows you to cope but prevents you from devoting all your efforts to the task at hand. The fact that I was able to do this is a testament to how strongly the Guardian believes in diversity.
Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on some of the key aspects of journalism I explored during the scheme and what it’s like to contribute inside a national newsroom during a breaking news cycle.
by Harry Smith – ADJ Student