Reporter on Asian odyssey
Phillipines-Bound: Daniel Simmons-Ritchie Photo / Lynda Feringa
Wairarapa Times-Age journalist Daniel Simmons-Ritchie will be flying to the Philippines capital Manila in October to take up an internship at the Philippine Star.
The internship is courtesy of an Asia New Zealand Foundation scholarship, which this year is giving two young New Zealand journalists the opportunity to work at a major Asian news organisation.
Mr Simmons-Ritchie, a Fraser High School and Whitireia journalism school graduate, said he is particularly keen to gain "the valuable experience of [visiting] another country".
"It will great soaking up another culture, in a part of the world that's growing massively."
He said he scooped the three-month internship after an initial written application and a phone interview, where he had to explain to the judges why he believed New Zealand journalists needed better knowledge of Asia.
The Philippine Star is an English-Language paper, and one of the country's top three papers in circulation.
It is also sold in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.
Mr Simmons-Ritchie said the experience was going to be an eye-opener after working at theTimes-Age since April last year.
"It's going to be a whole different ball game."
Apart from a family trip to Taiwan, he has never been to Asia, and is looking forward to the challenge of plying his trade in a city with a population of nearly 12 million.
"I really don't know because I don't know what they'll make me do ..I don't know if I'll be reporting on murders on my first day."
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