There were more than 200 at the time of registration, only 24 of them were selected to participate in the events. At the end of these, there will only be 6 of them continuing the adventure. No, this is not the concept of a new jungle survival reality show, but that of the new docuseries THE interns, which follows six aspiring journalists discovering the workings of the profession within Radio-Canada.
Over the course of eight episodes, we follow the selection and journey of the lucky ones who participate in this very first internship of its kind in the newsroom of the public broadcaster under the eye of the cameras. For eight weeks, the aspiring reporters learn how to do radio, television and the Web during different assignments: live conversation from the courthouse, reporting on the consequences of inflation, covering the debates at the National Assembly or even construction of a newscast.
In the role of mentor, journalist Marie-Maude Denis accompanies her gang throughout the docuseries, offering him support and valuable advice to get through the different missions. The hosts Isabelle Richer and Patrice Roy also make numerous appearances in the role of evaluators. They comment on their French, their way of writing and their way of behaving on camera.
The passage of the interns will have been a real breath of fresh air for these well-established journalists. “They gave us renewed faith in our profession. We’re all passionate, but, you know, there’s always a little Tuesday afternoon in November when we’re covering a press conference and we say to ourselves: “What’s the point?” They were our anti-rust treatment,” said Marie-Maude Denis with a laugh during the press viewing last week.
She has only good words for the team of apprentice journalists, who have never ceased to impress her. “One of the surprises of the internship was to see to what extent the trainees were attached to a certain tradition in terms of information. I thought they were going to enjoy doing RAD and find it a bit dull to do a newscast, but on the contrary. I felt that they didn’t want to erase our heritage as a traditional media, [mais] rather wanted to build on that with their freshness. »
Varied profiles
During the viewing, the media were notably able to discover the very first episode – which is scheduled to be broadcast on Thursday October 5 – which shows the selection camp. During this, 24 participants are subjected to a series of tests: general knowledge, quality of French, journalistic skills and interview. It feels like a real hiring process at Radio-Canada.
On the screen, the aspiring reporters parade, presenting themselves to the camera, as stressed as they are determined to take the next step. Against all odds, you can count journalism students on the fingers of one hand. Among the others: a former criminal lawyer, a communications director, a model, a teacher, a student at Polytechnique, a film director and a sexologist.
“With this project, we wanted to challenge young people from all walks of life to show that there is not just one path to becoming a journalist. […] You can have a different background and have something to bring to the profession, to a newsroom. This diversity of backgrounds is super interesting,” explains Crystelle Crépeau, first director of Magazines and Digital Information.
The goal of the docuseries is therefore to encourage people, particularly young up-and-comers, to want to practice “this exciting profession,” argues Luce Julien, general director of information at Radio-Canada. She notes that this internship proved to be a great “entry point” into the industry for the participants, without adding more details on what awaited them at the end of the process, so as not to “break the punch “.
The interns is also intended to be a gateway for the general public so that they can better understand and “learn to love” this profession of journalist, maintains Luce Julien. “We talk about it a lot, we hear it, we read it, we see it, but the work of journalists is still very often misunderstood. We wanted to show behind the scenes, behind the scenes of this extremely demanding profession,” she explains. Indeed, as the six apprentice journalists progress through their intensive training, we understand the standards, rigor and values that are instilled in them and that are expected of employees of the public broadcaster.
Will there be a second season? Nothing is confirmed at the moment. “We’re going to watch it go, then we’re going to see, we’re going to discuss it,” replies Luce Julien.