Emotional farewell for Young Reporters

“There’s a real sense of melancholy. We don’t really want it to end”, says David Dufweke from Östra Gymnasiet in Umeå. There are mixed emotions when Young Reporters gather in Malmö on Monday to evaluate the six months of the Presidency. With around three weeks left of the Presidency, it is an opportunity to look back on everything the 46 upper secondary school pupils have experienced, from Malmö in the south to Umeå in the north.

Photo: Helena Lombrink/Regeringskansliet

David Dufweke from Östra Gymnasiet in Umeå and Emily Ågren Ylinenjarvi from Anderstorpsskolan in Skellefteå had mixed feelings when it was time to say goodbye to Young Reporters.

Over six months, the pupils have had the chance to experience how the media work. They have written articles, photographed and even carried out webcast interviews in front of the camera. The articles, pictures and films have been published on the Presidency website, under their own section, and sometimes on the first page.

“Great to be treated like a real reporter”
David Dufweke and Emily Ågren Ylinenjarvi, from Anderstorpsskolan in Skellefteå, are agreed that it has been a fantastic experience. The two young reporters took part at the ministerial meeting on competitiveness and the Nolia Trade Fair in Umeå.
“It has been great to be involved and to be treated like a proper reporter. I’ve experienced what life as a journalist is really like”, says Emily. “I like writing, but then so do lots of other people. This experience gives it a whole new dimension.”

Many questions about journalism
Emily’s ambition is to become a journalist. Even if not many of the young reporters at the event in Malmö have decided on this career path yet, there is great curiosity about the profession. This is shown by the many questions put to two journalists from Sydsvenskan, Jonas Nyhrén and Pia Rehnquist, during the intensive Monday afternoon. 

They explain how Sydsvenskan, as the largest newspaper in south-western Sweden, is covering the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, COP15. Some of the greatest challenges, according to the two journalists, are how to find ways to promote the issue of climate change and to balance the conference against local news. The discussion soon widens, and the young reporters ask questions on everything from finding angles to how to behave towards sources.

A climate-neutral city in 2020
Earlier in the afternoon, the young reporters have listened to Kristina Zetterström, Director of the Communications Secretariat for Sweden’s EU Presidency 2009, and Roland Zinkernagel, EU Coordinator for the City of Malmö. Mr Zinkernagel spoke about the City of Malmö’s work on climate change. He said that the City of Malmö has the goal of being climate-neutral by 2020. This means that Malmö will compensate for the emissions that the municipality causes.

The day rounds off with a dinner, a final opportunity to discuss and remember an exciting six months.

Young Reporters in figures
Over six months, the 46 young reporters have:
– written 105 articles
– interviewed 15 Swedish ministers
– conducted 15 web interviews with a total length of 43 minutes, 11 seconds
– of which 9 with Swedish ministers, 3 with ministers from other countries and 3 with experts