Yeah, works well huh? Being my return to the blog as well as the final wrap up. So I didn’t do well at the blogging in the last week, but no-one else did so I don’t feel too bad. So I’ll condense the week down for you.

Monday September 14. ‘Twas a long time ago now. But probably the most important day of my internship. It started as normal. Not much happening, then we were scheduled to go out and do the vox (surprise!). Before I go out Stuart pulls me aside and asks me to ask 100(ONE HUNDRED) people if they think Premier Anna Bligh is doing a good job. Yeah. Fun.

So I go out, do the normal Vox, the photographer leaves me and I ask 100 (well actually 200 since a fair few didn’t want anything to do with it) the yes or no question, I was just supposed to get a tally and comments only from people who actually wanted to. I had it down by the end, I could spit out ‘Hi I’m from the QT, we’re just asking today if people think Anna Bligh is doing a good job’ (the amount of people who gave me a blank look until I said ‘You know, the Premier’ was astonishing…)

Two hours later I was filled with pride and satisfaction when I put the 100th vote down. The results were a particularly incredible 51 to 49 in favour of the Premier’s job performance (although, off the record, the yes’ were rather apathetic and the no’s quite vocal, but I guess thats how elections are won, comfort in incumbency and apathy.

Get back to the office, write it up, present it to Stuart, he pretty much changes everything and melds it with a wire story (the galaxy poll had come out saying Labor suck etc. Oh and I think I’m a brilliant writer but Stuart made everything sound so much better) And that was pretty much my job for the day.

Come in Tuesday, pick up the paper. I have a bylined page four lead WITH a front page pointer AND web content. Get that into ya! Was quite proud of that.

So that was the high light of the week. Everything else was pretty run of the mill. I did a follow up story on a guy who rode from Cairns to the ‘Swich for Cystic Fibrosis, two 60th anniversary’s and a 100th b’day, of which only the 100th has been published (the worst one too, she didn’t talk and her only relatives were two nieces who knew almost nothing about her…) but they’re in the advanced stories and are nice filler pic stories that could be published down the track.

I felt a lot more in with the group in the second week, I could join in on jokes it was a lot nicer feel. Probably the most interesting thing to see was an armed robbery happened at 3.30 at Amberley Post Office, a man and woman with revolvers, real Bonnie and Clyde style. So that had to be front page, redoing the whole paper at 4pm, with the front page lead not being properly finished till deadline, it was great from the outside and it didn’t seem to be too bad for the team either (they thought the story was great, as soon as it was reported that the only customer was a pregnant lady who had to dive on the ground you could just see Stuart’s eyes light up). Another funny one was watching Stuarts reaction to a speeding charge as Peter revealed the details. ‘200km/h.’ ‘Yeah.’ ’22 year old girl.’ ‘Yeah!’ ‘L Plater on her own.’ ‘Yes!!’ (Complete with fist pump)

The interview was pretty interesting, he’s 34 from the UK, moved out about 5 years ago and this is his first editor job and he’s been at the QT for 6 months. He’s genuinely excited and I don’t think this is the only paper he will edit, and he had some great views on Australian papers and newspapers as a genre. Guess I should write that profile soon.

So all in all, a great two weeks, I enjoyed it. But. I think working as a journalist and an internship are rather different. I hope it translates.

Dictated not read.