Summer Internship in London with Reporters Without Borders

Amanda Tukaj, Verrazzano Class of 2019, completed major in Communications Journalism with a minor in Political Science

Last summer, I spent 10 weeks interning in London with Reporters Without Borders, an NGO devoted to protecting a free press and the safety of journalists around the globe. I met incredible reporters not just from the UK, but also India, Turkey, Libya, Syria, the Czech Republic, and Mexico. I was able to hear about the pressures and struggles they faced when doing their investigative work and witnessed how media operates differently within various regions of the globe. Upon my return to New York, I knew I wanted to complete my final year at the College of Staten Island by doing research that was meaningful to me as part of my Capstone project. Having had those learning experiences abroad and pursuing a double major in Political Science and Journalism, I knew that delving deeper into the issue of press freedom would be able to merge together all of the knowledge I’d gained throughout my academic career.

   

With the help of Professor James Falkin from the Political Science department, I was able to focus my ideas and specifically analyze the United Kingdom, Malta, and Turkey and how their press has changed over the past decade. Throughout my research, I began to discover just how nuanced the issue of press freedom is. When we think about the suppression of journalists, we tend to think about authoritarian regimes that are known for explicitly censoring their media. We might not realize that a small EU country like Malta also places pressure on their journalists by directing defamation and libel suits at them and bankrupting them with legal defense fees if they publish articles on the crony capitalism and patronage system practices taking place within the Maltese government. Likewise, the usage of the DSMA-Notice system in the UK, which advises journalists about what they should or should not publish under the auspices of protecting national security, also creates tension between journalists and the state. 

                                                                     

 As I move on to graduate school, I believe that the time spent working with my mentor, formulating ideas, and combining experience with academic research have taught me skills that I will continue to value as I aspire to become a professional journalist. In the creation of this project, I learned to step back, evaluate information critically, and see the multiple actors involved in an issue like press freedom. I’m incredibly grateful that the Verrazzano Honors School encouraged me to complete a research project, as I know this experience will be transferable to all of the academic work I do in the future, whether I go into the field of media research or not.