/ Journalism at Ghost Island Media: Taipei Subscribe

My official title was Editorial Intern, but Emily is very thoughtful about how she manages the interns and made a conscious effort to get us out of our comfort zone by working on different parts of the production process. Some of the tasks I worked on include:

• Research: This was a big part of my average workday. Most of GIM’s regular shows use an interview format, so a lot of my job was preparing briefs on potential episode subjects and guests. My research for GIM’s English-language podcast about Taiwan and global politics generally focused on international relations, especially the online information environment, but I also researched topics like the #MeToo movement and the history of acid house music in England for episodes of GIM’s Mandarin shows.

• Podcast recordings: Most of our English-language interviews took place online with guests living outside of Taiwan, but we still have to prepare the studio and equipment to make sure everything sounds right in the final recording. My main job during these recordings was taking notes for use in the editing process and taking pictures/videos to promote the episode on social media.

• Transcript editing: The main transcript I worked on was for our episode with Ben Graham Jones, an election analyst. After our interview with him, I went through the automatic transcript to fix any errors. Once the transcript was cleaned up, I started paper edits to cut out any sections that were unclear or unnecessary. This particular interview ran for longer than usual, so the editing process was mostly finding places to cut material without losing the original character of the interview. 

• Social media: This part involved a little field trip! I was in charge of live-tweeting for GIM while Emily was emceeing for the Falling Walls lab science competition. I had never live-tweeted anything before, so this was a new experience for me. I covered the opening ceremony, the pitches from each of the contestants, and the winner, who will represent Taiwan in the international competition this fall. Being in charge of GIM’s social media for a day was a little scary, but it’s also exciting to see an instant finished product.

I loved being able to try out so many different jobs. GIM is a small company, so everyone gets to know each other quickly and I got to see every part of the process up close. I’m going into my senior year, and the work environment at GIM made me realize that I like the feeling of being seen and being connected with my coworkers, and that personal connection isn’t always possible at a large corporation. Going forward, I’ll be applying to more small- and medium-sized companies based on my experience this summer.

Another aspect of my Albright internship with GIM that has had a major impact on my post-graduation plans was the look it gave me into the journalism industry. GIM is a media company, and Emily invited the interns to attend events with the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club, an industry group for foreign reporters in Taiwan. I hadn’t considered journalism as a career option before, but seeing how journalists operate and how they interact as a community, just as I was researching the information environment, made me realize that journalism can also be a way to make a difference. Without the opportunity Albright has given me to work with GIM, I never would have recognized journalism as a field that aligns with my values and interests.

I would encourage any Wellesley student in the internship phase to use this as an opportunity to explore areas they might not otherwise consider. Even for people who enter college with a clear idea of what they want to do, it’s never a bad idea to see what else is out there. Every internship comes with learning experiences and transferable skills, regardless of whether it’s in the industry you eventually end up choosing. Wellesley, and the Albright Institute especially, are great at offering opportunities that will expand your horizon - you just have to take them. Thank you so much to the Albright Institute, Emily Y. Wu, and Ghost Island Media for an amazing summer!

This internship experience was supported by The Marcia Teng '81 and Nobuhisa Ishizuka Endowed Fund.