Next-Gen Intern’s Diary: Learning, Reporting, and Telling Stories that Matter, by Habibat Muhammad Sani

My third month in the Next Gen Internship Programme has been both intense and eye-opening. At this stage, the experience is no longer just about learning the basics. It is about applying everything I have learned and becoming more confident in my role as a journalist.

This month, alongside my regular newsroom activities at Ideko News Africa, I continued filing daily reports on events and developments across Nigeria. Covering these stories has helped me stay abreast of what is happening around the country and improve my speed, accuracy, and news judgement.

At the same time, I have participated in several training sessions in the newsroom. These sessions have focused on strengthening key skills such as story framing, asking the right questions, and approaching complex issues. Each training has added something new to my process and has helped me think more carefully about how I report.

Beyond the daily news, I also worked on a special report that stood out for me this month. The story examined the issue of jungle justice in Nigeria and asked a simple but powerful question: When did suspicion become enough to take a life?

The report focused on a case that reflects a wider problem in society, where people take the law into their own hands despite the presence of legal systems. Working on this story required patience and sensitivity. It was not only about writing what happened, but about understanding the deeper issues behind it.

Through this process, I learned to pay closer attention to how people respond to crime, the role of trust in institutions, and the dangers of normalising violence. 

This month has also helped me become more comfortable with the demands of the newsroom. From pitching ideas to refining my reports, I now understand better how stories move from idea to publication. I am learning to be more deliberate, more observant, and more responsible in my work.

As the internship gradually comes to an end, I can see how much I have grown. I am not just writing more; I am thinking more. I am asking better questions and paying attention to the human side of every story.

This experience has shown me that journalism is a continuous process of learning. There is always more to understand, more to improve, and more stories that need to be told.

And as I move forward, one thing I have on my sleeve is: stories are powerful, and telling them well is a responsibility I am ready to carry.