Past the bronze cutout of the "Guardian of Democracy," a group of young interns gathered around the table in the ballroom of the T&T Guardian, on August 26. They had been selected to participate in the Young Journalist Press Pass competition and internship programme. Warren Willock, Tyler Andrews, Joshua Charles, Leah Lewis, Nneka Richards, Alana Bassie, Dawn Rosales, and Alexander Johnson each received certificates of participation. During their stint, they were taught the rudiments of journalism–who, what, when, why and how, as well as the function and role of journalists in a democratic society.
Freedom of the press is enshrined in T&T's constitution and the interns learned techniques of news gathering and dissemination of information meant to inform the public. Apart from the theoretical aspect of writing press releases and stories, they met media practitioners who shared their experiences At the end of the internship, they all understood one sobering fact– journalism is not glitz and glamour, but a labour of love and commitment to country. Fresh from a media workshop in the spice island of Grenada, Wanser told the young interns: "Journalism will take you to places where you would never get to go in another profession. You will be able to build contacts and network. You will learn a lot about all kinds of issues, people and things. It is a rewarding profession."
Media practitioners also stressed Guardian Media Ltd's core values: professionalism, customer orientation, excellence, mutual respect, creativity and honesty. But the interns also gave a good account of themselves. According to president of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Wesley Gibbings, they were familiar with good Grammar and the basics of Language. "It made it easier since I did not have to go back and teach the basics of Grammar. They were a bright bunch," he said.
