Youssr Youssef: understand how a country works

"I am fascinated by investigative journalism, so I subscribed to the newsletter of the Global Investigative Journalism Network. In addition to a lot of articles that detail behind the scenes' best productions, they have a toolbox and a list of journalistic scholarships. That's how I heard about the Medialab Campus Scholarship.

This scholarship is my opportunity to do an internship in journalism, with less worries about the financial aspect. It's not easy in this industry, especially when you're starting out, to be able to gain experience, produce, and pay your bills.

I am looking for a job that can bring me pleasure and in which I can be useful. I love writing, restructuring my thoughts to try to give birth to an article. To learn, nonstop. But above all, I would like to bring something, an added value, by my fields of specialization or by the data tools that I use, for investigation in the future.

This internship at L'Orient-Le Jour, in Lebanon allowed me to connect more intimately than ever my specialties, when I joined the Economics desk (my thematic specialization) in Orient-Le Jour (my regional specialization). Like many of those who are passionate about this region of the world, I have always dreamed of going to Lebanon, hoping to discover, in such a small country, even a part of the packed cultural, political and social wealth there.

My internship went extremely well.I first had the chance to join the most benevolent team, they took the time to integrate me and explain to me a lot of things that we do not necessarily understand when we arrive in a foreign country. My internship tutor, to whom I am very grateful, gave me a lot of advice and made sure that I dealt with some of the most exciting topics. For example, I studied the electricity reform in Lebanon, which allowed me to understand how the country partly works: the fact that the public electricity is not provided 24 hours a day, the fact that the implementation of this reform implies obtaining loans and donations, the political and religious Micmac behind it...

I would advise the other trainees to try not to lock themselves between the four walls of the editorial room, and take advantage of their internship to discover the country. This allows to better soak up the country's elements and gives experience in writing."