Social and News Reporter - Alexandra Richards

Social and News Reporter at The Evening Standard
BA American and Canadian Studies, 2016

What does your role involve?

My job title is social and news reporter so on a daily basis I find stories, research them, interview the relevant people and write the article up. As a social reporter the aim of my role is to find stories that are going to bring traffic to the site so these are the stories that might go viral.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the people that I work with as they are very good at their jobs. I also enjoy speaking to a wide variety of people when researching a story and learning about topics which I might not have been familiar with before I started researching it.

What’s most challenging?

The most challenging aspect is the amount of content I produce a day as usually it will be between 8-10 articles a day. Alongside this it is challenging to find new stories as with the internet the news can be spread incredibly quickly.

How did your time at Birmingham help prepare you for this role?

I did American Studies which involves a lot of essay writing so that helped. I also think my year abroad boosted my confidence and made me more independent which I think are important traits to have as a journalist.

What advice would you give to students interested in your industry or role?

I would say do as many internships as possible. Try and write as much as possible, whether this is in a blog or in your uni paper. I would also say apply for every opportunity that comes your way.

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