Internships and building a career in Brazilian journalism

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the role of internships in the career of Brazilian journalists. Its aim is to understand the professional side of this experience and compare it with conditions imposed by the media labour market in Brazil, its fluctuations and reshapings. This study is based mainly on biographical in-depth interviews with 32 journalists working in Brasilia. More than just a learning and preparation experience, internships make up a career of socializing in journalism and managing the uncertainty concerning the labour market. Internships are also telling of the transformations in journalism. The stratification of internship experience from each generation shows us how it has gradually become legitimized, and then naturalized, as a pedagogical experience in journalism careers, as well as a plan for entering the profession. This process goes hand-in-hand with the increased skills required of interns and the professionalization of how they are selected.