Scholarship / Journalism: facts, events, truths - why I should be considered for scholarship [5]

Hi, Am applying for a post graduate taught scholarship as an international student.The question asked was "please state why you believe that you should be considered for a school of Journalism post graduate taught scholarship."

My Essay: Is it too long?can some of the details be edited? Pls suggest.

To me Journalism is a pursuit of facts, events, truths. Telling these truths and facts through visuals & words excite me. I care about finding stories, ensuring they're true and fair, and telling them in the most interesting, compelling way-whether that's an essay, a video, an infographic, or a tweet. I have always also been a TV news enthusiast with an interest towards National News affairs. Powerful visuals along with words move & inform like no other news medium. The December 16th Delhi gang rape story & the visuals had a profound impact on me in the way the TV media captured people's voice & anger effectively. I would also like some fundamental understanding of what digital platforms mean for journalists and how to incorporate them into my reporting process.

My purpose of picking this program is simple. To be an effective & competent Journalist. I want to be able to be a better writer, learn to shoot better, be a better editor, report better & equip myself with skill, expertise that is necessary to survive & thrive in the profession. Being unbiased, truthful in my reportage & to bring out important stories of my community, country is what i want to do. I wish to cover the political beat in India & to inform, educate the public about the politics of the day would be a contribution i would be proud of.This can be possible through the subjects that are being offered at Cardiff University. The faculty are working Journalists which is a huge advantage for an aspiring one like me. The practical newsroom experience that I can get here is essential to improve my skill set as well as to build up on my portfolio.

To get some work experience in Journalism & educate myself, I took up Post graduate Broadcast Training program at NDTV Media institute and an internship at one of India's leading News channels, NDTV 24X7. Through this 4 month Training course, I was introduced to basic broadcast journalistic elements such as Television news gathering, research, video editing, Camera Operations, Broadcast Pre-Production, copy writing, Anchoring & presentation.

As an intern, I worked & thrived in the newsroom environment under pressure with deadlines. I worked in every department of the news channel for 7 months. As a complete novice, I got a chance to assist the senior correspondents & reporters of the organization on some of the most important news stories happening in India. I got a chance to observe, ask questions, learn & take it all in. I learnt how a TV channel newsroom works & what the pressures of being in breaking news situations are. Some of the duties I performed as an intern are video editing on Avid News cutter, sound bite collection, Interviewing people, Transcriptions for Interviews, asking questions at press conferences, writing scripts for news, shadowing reporters etc. I also worked as a trainee reporter at a local news paper covering health & education. I freelanced as a writer for various websites & have my own blog which i update regularly.

Unfortunately, as an international student the money required to fund this program is high and my mother, as a single parent would not be able to fund the entire fee. It would take some burden off her shoulders if i get some financial assistance from Cardiff School of Journalism.I hope you consider my professional work experience, my desire to excel in Journalism & financial need and take a decision accordingly.