Not all suit and ties – Artur Osinski out collecting GVs for a package on the construction of a new port
What’s it like working at the news desk of an international TV broadcaster? In his latest post, journo grad Artur Osinski talks about the second leg of his internship at CNN…
After my stint with Quest Means Business and Connect the World, I am now well and truly immersed in the operations of the busy CNN news desk.
The day starts with an editorial meeting at 9am, where representatives of every department and programme gather to discuss the news agenda.
During this we connect with our different bureaus via a video conference call. This is a fantastic experience where you get to see journalists from all around the world (Hong Kong, Dubai, Atlanta, Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg) sharing stories and shaping CNN International’s coverage of news.
My duties throughout the day are in many aspects similar to the ones I had in the programmes part of my internship, such as research, transcribing and contacting people for interviews. I do, however, get the opportunity to go out more often for shoots as well.
Sometimes I accompany reporters, whereas other times I am out there by myself with the cameraman. In these scenarios my role is to help the channel in any capacity possible. This means being the link between the outside world and the news desk – whether this is making sure it’s clear what shots we need, liaising with any PR officials on the spot and getting vox pops.
After we come back from a shoot, I’m then responsible for making sure the footage is ingested into the system. As always in television, there is a constant fight with deadlines to make sure all the material is in on time to get to air.
The job can be very varied at times. I’ve covered press conferences for political stories (including one held by the Foreign Secretary William Hague and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry), I’ve been to the headquarters of Eidos in London (creators of the famous Lara Croft game Tomb Raider) and to the building site of a new deep-sea port (see picture above).
One morning I watched Becky Anderson interviewing former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the father of Malala Yousafzai, while in the evening I accompanied her on live stand-ups outside the O2 Arena during a Justin Bieber concert.
One of the personal highlights of my time at the news desk came almost at the beginning, when a story broke of a diamond heist at the Brussels airport. No-one could reach the airport’s spokesman, but through perseverance I managed to get to him through his office and was able to confirm various crucial facts.
My information was used on the CNN wires and an hour later the network interviewed the spokesman live on air. After that the information I’d gathered was used in an article for CNN’s website, which you can read here.
Perhaps the ultimate pat on the back was the e-mail I received from the supervising editor saying I’d done a good job.
Stay tuned to Journograds to hear more from Artur as he gives insight into life as an intern at one of the world’s leading news channels. You can read more from him here.
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