Curiosity pays off for journalism graduate

massey-university

Mon May 21 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Curiosity pays off for journalism graduate

Monday, 21 May 2007, 2:31 pm
Press Release: Massey University

A Massey journalism graduate has won the student print journalist prize at this year’s Qantas Media Awards.

Jenny Macintyre collected her award at a gala dinner in Wellington on Friday (May 18).

The prize included $500 from the Journalists Training Organisation, the industry body that oversees the training of journalists in the country.

“Journalists are curious, and I think I won because my curiosity found me stories,” Ms Macintyre says.

She submitted a portfolio of four stories written while a student at Massey, including one on the effects of Agent Orange on New Zealand Vietnam War veterans and another on Maori concerns over an exhibit at a local museum.

“I’m particularly proud that all four of my stories were picked up by other news media,” she says.

A student in 2006, Ms Macintyre paid tribute to Alan Samson, the Massey lecturer she worked most closely with during her time at the University.

“What I learnt from him is that for a story to be good you must rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!”

As a mature student, she says taking a year out of her life to study was a big decision, but one she is glad she made.

Her determination to do well on the course meant she soldiered on even after breaking her wrist just before the second semester started.

She now works as a reporter at the Sunday Star-Times in Auckland.

Other recent Massey graduates also did well at the Qantas Awards. Yvonne Tahana (class of 2003) won the Maori issues newspaper feature writer category and Kimberley Rothwell (2004) was a finalist in the junior newspaper feature writer category.

ENDS

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