Fatima Ezzahra : for the editor, I was one of the journalists working at MCD
Related project
MediaLab CampusIn June 2019, the MediaLab Campus project awarded grants to ten female students and five male students studying journalism in schools across Europe and the Mediterranean and looking to undertake an internship in a foreign media outlet over the summer. Fatima Ezzahra Benhmiddouch, student at ISIC is on an internship at MCD (Monte Carlo Doualiya) in September, in Paris.
"Since I was a little girl, I wanted to become a journalist and my summer camp supervisors and teachers confirmed that I had journalism skills. So, after obtaining my baccalaureate, I chose the Higher Institute of Information and Communication Institut Supérieur de l'Information et de la Communication to enter this domain.
I had to always look for opportunities to gain solid experience in addition to a good general knowledge. Thanks to my curiosity, I was able to do several internships in journalism in newspapers, radio and national and international channels, and I had the chance to do an internship at Monte Carlo Doualiya, in Paris, thanks to Medialab Campus.
What marked me the most is that from day one I was not considered as a trainee. For the editor, I was one of the journalists working at MCD. So, just after the first editorial meeting at 10am, I was asked to write my first paper for a live broadcast in the newspaper of 13h, which gave me confidence as well as a responsibility which pushed me to work and produce more than I imagined I could.
It took me only the first day to get used to the high pace of work. Then, I was able to make one to two stories in each news bulletin during the three newspapers of the day, on various topics such as "the multiparty debate on domestic violence" and "the negotiations of the European countries and Iran to try to save the agreement on the Iranian nuclear project", etc.
"I also participated in programs such as Retour sur l'actu with Saada Sabri, in which I made introductions at the beginning of each episode, such as the Houthi talks with the Americans and the case of the Moroccan journalist arrested and tried for "illegal abortion".
I heard about Medialab Campus scholarships via an ad pinned to the bulletin board of my institute and this scholarship guaranteed me transportation, accommodation and daily expenses. This internship is a source of motivation and encouragement for me because I found myself in a professional world, with generous journalists.
In addition, this internship was a great opportunity for me to meet different cultures, languages, people from different countries especially in Paris, the world center of art and culture. As Gustave Nadaud said: "To stay is to exist but to travel is to live".
And to be a good journalist you have to live.
