My first journalism job as a local news reporter

Local news reporter Rahima in her graduation cap and gown. She is smiling for a photo. Her photo is on top of a photo of reporters interviewing someone.

Now a local news reporter for Hull Live, Rahima Miah shares her journey since graduating from the School of Journalism.

What is your job? 

I am a local news reporter for Hull Live.

What do you do on an average day in your role?

On a typical day in my role I source stories that are relevant to the city of Kingston upon Hull, carry out interviews and write stories. I also cover breaking news in the form of live blogs or going to locations, for example accident scenes to find out information from people on the spot about what has happened.

Sometimes I do Facebook Lives to cover events or anything new that is happening in the city.

Have you written a story you are particularly proud of since graduating?

Since graduating I have written different stories on various topics. I have covered both light-hearted stories and more serious news.

One story I have written that I am particularly proud of is one about hotel employees who suddenly lost their jobs after the hotel was opened up to asylum seekers exclusively. I am proud of this story because I gave a voice to people who felt as though their concerns were not being heard and who felt like they were forgotten about. After this story was published on Hull Live’s website the public came to the support of the hotel employees.

How did you secure your current job?

About a month after graduating I decided to update my CV then go on the job hunt for my first journalism job. I applied for a range of reporter jobs, mostly in local news. My application for the Hull Live reporter job was accepted and then I had to go through the interview process. After passing the stages of the interview, I was offered the job.
What was your biggest lesson from your training with the School of Journalism?

I learned so much from training with the School of Journalism. Personally for me, the biggest lesson I learned was to build my confidence as I became aware of how important and necessary it is for journalists to have confidence as one of their skills.

How did your degree course prepare you for your first journalism job?

My degree course helped me to prepare for my first journalism job by giving me all the skills, experience and knowledge that I needed. Luckily, I finished the course with the qualifications my employer was looking for thanks to everything I learned during the course and the ‘Learn to Earn’ module was especially helpful for life after finishing the course in terms of looking for jobs.

Read about what modules you study on our degree course here. 

Do you have any advice for people choosing where to study journalism?

I do not think there is anywhere better to study journalism than the School of Journalism. As the course is practical you get real hands-on experience of what it is like to be a journalist and what it requires and you are treated as a journalist from the beginning of the course, not as a student.

My tutors at the School of Journalism helped me even after finishing the course, for example by helping me to prepare for interviews by giving me tips.

Do you have any advice for current journalism students?

For anyone who is currently studying journalism, I’d say to keep going no matter how competitive the industry gets because you can achieve your goals as long as you keep working hard. Learn what makes a good story and how to tell a good story in different formats as journalism is becoming increasingly multimedia.

The School of Journalism graduates go into the industry prepared for life as a journalist. Read about Adam Wareing’s first job in journalism here.