There are many varied positions at The Jerusalem Post, from reporters to editorial staff to the copy editors and breaking news editors. But another important part of the chain is the humble interns.
While having internships for aspiring journalists is far from unusual, we at the Post pride ourselves on giving our interns real opportunities for journalistic work rather than the stereotypical grunt work of getting coffee. As I always jokingly say, interns are not for getting coffee; that is what new hires are for.
But in all seriousness, our interns come through our doors as massive blocks of potential, and it is their experiences here that help sculpt them into the journalists of tomorrow.
For us at the Post, one of our biggest intern success stories is Sam Halpern. A young man of humble beginnings from Silver Spring, Maryland, Halpern made the most out of his internship at the Post and started working here almost immediately after his internship ended. Since then, he became an integral part of the Breaking News Desk and currently serves as one of our desk managers.
Being an intern here does not guarantee employment with the Post when the stint is over. But if you make the most of your training and learning experience, you will find that the opportunity will be there.
In Jerusalem sat down with Halpern to hear his story, from intern to manager.
What brought you to Israel?
I was brought to Israel by a love for the country and a desire to live in the Jewish homeland.
I had started getting involved in advocacy on a personal level in college and getting involved in Jewish activities and learning about the history of the Jewish people. That led to me studying Hebrew.
Eventually, it seemed to be the right decision to make the move to Israel.
What brought you to the ‘Post’?
When I decided to come to Israel, I didn’t want to come to a new country with nothing. I was looking for a program that could give me work, housing, and community. So I looked online and found Masa. Through that, I got an internship at The Jerusalem Post.
I started at the Post in October 2022, which lasted until March 2023. At the end of that, I went up to the managing editor at the time, Tamar Uriel-Beeri, and asked if she wanted me to stay, and she said yes.
I went back to the US for a couple of months, and then I started as a Breaking News Desk editor.
I was in that position for only a matter of months before I was asked to step into the role of desk manager in December 2023, just a couple of months after the war started. I started as a desk manager the next month.
What is it like going from intern to Breaking News Desk editor to desk manager?
It’s really special to have had this trajectory. I came to Israel looking to write and tell the story of this country. As an English major, I wanted to write and talk about Israel. So getting this internship and being able to rise through the field has been incredible.
Tell me one of your favorite anecdotes from your career thus far.
One of the coolest experiences of being on the desk is writing something and having an impact of some sort.
Sometimes you’re reposted by a significant international figure.
One of my favorite anecdotes was of writing a story about UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese. I had heard she said something on Twitter, so I went to look it up in the office on the Post’s account. That’s when I realized we couldn’t see any of her posts and that we had been blocked by Ms. Albanese herself.
I wrote the story and noted that she had blocked the Post. Then, Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein wrote an article about whether it was appropriate for a UN special rapporteur to block a media outlet. Albanese then had to comment on it, claiming it was an accident.
What is something about the job most people don’t know?
I think the main thing people don’t realize about this job is that breaking news is really such a fast-paced world. It’s an honor to be able to do the job, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
Every day, the people who work with breaking news are doing their utmost to own the service of bringing people around the world the truth about what’s going on. And it’s fast. We all feel the pressure to get it right.
In that sense, it’s really a labor of love to bring people the news of what’s happening in a timely and accurate way.
What advice do you have for aspiring journalists?
As someone who came up as an intern and is currently a desk manager, I’d say the thing that got me from there to here is just working hard.
If you are willing to apply yourself and are willing to take criticism and feedback and not look at it as an insult but as an opportunity to grow – if you’re willing to humble yourself and ask questions to those who have been doing this longer than you – then you can always get better.