Sonya Haggie, Waikato Times.

Tu Tangata, Issue 9, 1 December 1982, Page 23

Sonya Haggie, Waikato Times.

When I had my first taste of journalism I never dreamed I would end up making it my career. I came in contact with it in 1979 when I joined a journalism class at Hominy High School in Hominy, Oklahoma, USA, where I was spending a year as a Rotary Exchange Student. I decided to take the class as a bit of a joke but found meeting and writing about people something I enjoyed.

Even then I didn’t think of making journalism my career, but almost a year later when I had returned to New Zealand I attended the first journalism course organised by the New Zealand Journalists Training Board and the Maori Affairs Department. That course made me realise journalism was for me and after nearly 18 months in the business I have still to be

proved wrong. I did the Auckland Technical Institute’s six month journalism course before starting at The Waikato Times in Hamilton. I cover several council meetings, court, and am back-up to the Maori round.

For me journalism is challenging, interesting, sometimes exciting and infrequently boring, and gives me the opportunity to meet people, learn, and be creative through writing.

an average academic record (including U.E.) a wide range of interests a keen interest in the news media maturity and strength of character There’s no fee for the course. The Department of Maori Affairs covers the cost of accommodation during the course if you’re from out of town.

The next step After the introductory course the logical move is to apply for a place in one of the full-time courses at Wellington Polytech (50 students), Auckland Technical Institute (24 twice a year), or the University of Canterbury (20 university graduates). Most employers prefer their recruits to have done one of these courses. That’s understandable because the students not only learn shorthand and typing but also get a solid, practical grounding in reporting for radio and newspapers.

The programme Each course follows this pattern: Tuesday: Arrive by 6pm for welcome and introductions Wednesday: Introduction to reporting. Recognising news, news gathering, interviewing, notetaking, writing readable stories. Thursday: Introduction to radio. Writing news stories, reading the news, taping interviews, compiling news bulletins, programming. Friday: Introduction to television. Writing, compiling and reading the news, interviewing, research. Saturday and Sunday: Media hui. Linking up with local journalists and Maori leaders, on a marae, for a news media hui. Monday: Introduction to public relations journalism and to sub-editing. Re-writing, writing headlines, handling photographs, legal limits, arranging page layout. Tuesday Gathering news for publication. Under supervision the students gather information and write stories for publication in newspapers or broadcast or radio. Wednesday: Review and evaluation of the course. Planning the next step. Farewells by lpm. t