A journalist in the making

 By JACKLYN SIRIAS
JUST 22 and attending the University of Papua New Guinea as a final-year journalism and public relations student, Nadia Marai from East Sepik was given an opportunity to venture into her soon-to-be career.
Nadia was selected with four other students from tertiary institutions in New Zealand and the Pacific to attend a two-week media internship programme hosted by the Pacific Cooperation Foundation in New Zealand.
Of the four, one is from Samoa and two from Fiji.
Marai is naturally excited to be one of the first students from UPNG to be part of the media internship programme.
She hopes to learn as much as she can and use whatever she has learnt in her work.
“There are a lot of things in terms of news gathering and use of sophisticated equipment that I need to learn from developed countries like New Zealand that will help me disseminate news and information to audience in my future career as a journalist,” she said.
Marai says the programme will equip her with better understanding of media coverage in PNG and the Pacific.
The programme will also help her to build confidence and network with outside countries and people as well.
“So when I return home, I am well equipped to enter employment with quiet a broader knowledge of media at home and in the Pacific,” she said.
The media programme focuses on improving the level and quality of media exposure in the Pacific.
The programme started in 2015. It is funded by the Pacific Cooperation Foundation, a non-profit organisation.
It was mandated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) to design, facilitate and implement programs and initiatives in the Pacific region.
The internship is one of its programmes for journalism students in the Pacific.
All students who have attended are sponsored by the Funds.
For this year, the programme started on June 27 and will end on July 11.
She is looking forward to an ambitious career when she returns.
Marai, as an aspiring young Papua New Guinean, has worked with a number of media organisations while attending school.
“In 2014 in my second year, I did my first news training with Goldring Media. In 2015, I was attached with NBC during the Pacific Games doing coverage on sports news. That same year, I did my practical with NBC New Ireland.”
Marai is doing her final year at UPNG. She aims to graduate as a bachelor’s of arts degree in journalism and public relations student.
She believes that the termination of the 2016 academic year at UPNG will have a great impact on her dreams and career. But she will just have to wait out the year before completing her degree programme hopefully next year.
One thing she is sure about – it is not going to stop her dream of becoming a top journalist in the country.