"You need to have the courage to pursue stories"
Sam Bradpiece Crédit photo: Chloé Maillard
May you describe your academic and professional background?
I studied History at the University of Bristol before joining the joint master program at Sciences Po, where I specialised in Environmental Policy alongside Journalism. During my studies in Paris, I freelanced as a producer for CNN and filed pieces for various British and American newspapers such as The Guardian and The Christian Science Monitor. Since then, I have mostly worked in Africa as a freelance correspondent for both francophone and anglophone media.
What is your job title today? How is your daily routine?
Today I work mostly as a freelance correspondent for France 24 based in Dakar, Senegal. A typical day includes searching for and pitching important stories from across West Africa; delivering lives in the case of breaking news; and producing, editing and voicing video stories. Alongside regular work with France 24, I also write features and take photos for a number of anglophone outlets. In my free time, I kickbox three times a week with the Senegalese national team. I aim to take part in my first official fight in 2023.
What were the main takeaways from your degree?
The degree was extremely useful in terms of skill development. Before joining Sciences Po, I had no idea how to put together a package for TV and had never worked as a photojournalist. Now I do both regularly. The most intellectually stimulating part of the course revolved around the ethics of journalism.
What memories did you keep from your school, your cohort, your teachers?
This was a challenging degree and at times proved to be very stressful. I’m glad to have persisted with the course, which opened up many doors professionally. I remain close with a number of former classmates. There were a number of inspirational, stand-out teachers including: Annie Hylton, Pauline Ades-Mével and Stuart Norval.
What advice could you give to a student who would like to become a journalist?
My main advice is to be persistent and to act confidently. You need to have the courage to pursue stories and job opportunities even if you have doubts about your chances of success. If you don’t ask, you won’t get.
"Les soirées spéciales pour l’élection présidentielle resteront des moments forts de mon cursus"
Arthur Bijotat
Le doublé de Marie-Aimée Copleutre et Romane Roussel
Remise du prix Ajcam 2022-2023
Marie-Aimée Copleutre, en M2 à l'Ecole de journalisme de Sciences Po, gagne le grand prix radio du prix des Talents à la une, dont l'édition 2022-2023 porte sur le thème du réemploi des matériaux de construction.
De plus, Romane Roussel, en M1 à l'Ecole de journalisme de Sciences Po, se classe 2e ex-aequo pour la catégorie presse écrite.
Toutes nos félicitations !
Retrouvez le palmarès des prix et concours remportés par les étudiantes et étudiants de l'École de journalisme de Sciences Po.
"Follow passion projects and be ambitious with what you want to accomplish"
Daphnée Denis
May you describe your academic and professional background?
I've been quite literally all over the place! I earned a bachelor's of art in law at Cambridge University, and then entered the double master's in journalism between Sciences Po and Columbia University. After graduating from Columbia and Sciences Po in 2012, I spent a year finishing an independent documentary while writing for Slate in French and in English and freelancing for production companies in New York. I then moved to London to work as a podcast producer for Monocle, later joining AFP as a video journalist and almost immediately moving to their Uruguay headquarters to cover some of the biggest stories in Latin America, from the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Cuba to the Argentinian elections. A few years later, I joined the Spanish newspaper EL PAIS in Mexico City as the head of their video department, leading visual journalists across Latin America. Eventually, I moved back to France where I launched and became editor in chief of the media startup Loopsider, and then joined Brut, the fastest-growing online media startup in Europe, first as their head of global content, and later as the editor in chief of their U.S. team. I'm also a regular feature writer for Kinfolk magazine.
Quel poste occupez-vous aujourd'hui? A quoi ressemble votre travail au quotidien? What is your job title today? How is your daily routine? What are the main takeaways from your degree?
I learned so much with the double degree: At Sciences Po, during my first year, I acquired the basics technically and editorially. What makes a great lede, how to edit, record etc. Columbia put a large focus on field reporting and that's where I really honed in my skills in video, and as a storyteller. This degree made me understand the different types of journalism that existed and taught me to be ambitious in terms of what I wanted to achieve within this industry.
Quels souvenirs gardez-vous de votre école, de votre promotion, de vos enseignants? What memories did you keep from your school, your cohort, your teachers?
I keep great memories of a range of classes I took: learning how to accurately write and report with Sophie Pedder from The Economist was invaluable, and so were Vincent Josse's cultural reporting classes for radio — I would credit him for making me realize I enjoyed audio and visual formats, and wasn't only a writer. At Columbia, the reporting and writing course totally changed me, and so did the multimedia storytelling class taught by Duy Linh Tu, who made me direct my first documentary. I've kept in touch with many former students, some of them remain close friends, and I really admire what some of them have achieved.
Quels conseils donneriez-vous à un étudiant qui souhaiterait devenir journaliste aujourd'hui? What advice could you give to a student who would like to become a journalist?
Find a topic or a format to specialize in, and work your "beat" to grow expertise in your field: it will make you an asset for newsrooms. Follow passion projects and be ambitious with what you want to accomplish — personal projects can get you through the door with an employer if they are good and show promise. Do not work for free.
L'Ecole de journalisme de Sciences Po présente Atterrir
Atterrir, le podcast
Un épisode, une histoire, sept témoins. Un partage et des questionnements. Comment passer de l'agriculture conventionnelle au bio, peut-on imaginer un marketing responsable, comment partir en voyage sans polluer ou comment rencontrer l’amour et concilier l’engagement "écolo"...?
Quatorze étudiants de M2 de l'Ecole de journalisme de Sciences Po ont parcouru la France en train, en bus, en voiture, avec leurs micros et leurs questions pour interroger ces témoins qui nous racontent le moment où leur vie a basculé dans la transition écologique.
Résultat, un podcast nommé "Atterrir" en sept épisodes à écouter d'urgence, sur Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Deezer et Spotify.
Dans chacun des épisodes, une vie, une personnalité, un lieu, pour "panser", "revenir", "métamorphoser", "rencontrer", "pédaler", "filer", "rester"… Sept épisodes pour écouter les témoignages d’André, Marie, Christophe, Brigitte, Marion, Pauline, Valérie, Martin, et Olivia.
A propos de ce podcast
Rédaction en chef : Edwige Coupez
Design sonore : Lise Lovati, Gabriel Joly et Lucie Dupressoir
Design graphique : Romain Bitot et Marie-Aimée Copleutre
Communication : Louise Huet et Theo Metton-Régimbeau
Organisation et rédaction des descriptions : Alexis Arades, Pauline Boudier, Emma Dehoey, Charles Ducroq, Mathilde Piqué, Maëlle Polsinelli, Zacharie Legros