Inside the Newsroom: My Best Internship
EMMA'S NOTES #71
Hi there,
I’m back in Buenos Aires for a couple of months! The first time I was here was from September to December 2023, when I interned at La Nación, one of Argentina’s largest newspapers, in their data journalism department.
I’ve always been intrigued by the role data journalists play as watchdogs of democracy, and at the time, I was testing a career hypothesis: Could data journalism be for me?
And where better to test than one of the world’s leading data journalism teams?
Whenever people ask me how to figure out what to do with their life, my go-to advice is: Form a hypothesis about what you might want to do—and test it. Try it out through volunteering, a short contract, or an internship. That’s how I explored coaching, project management, consulting, and teaching. And in Buenos Aires, I tested data journalism.
Last week, I dropped by the newsroom to say hi, which got me reflecting on just how great this internship was.
The Best Internship I’ve Ever Had
I joined La Nación during Argentina’s presidential elections, so most of my work focused on analyzing election data. I even spent election night in the newsroom, experiencing the rush of getting the first results ready for print the next morning.
Beyond elections, my biggest project was an investigation into urban heat islands in Buenos Aires—areas significantly hotter than others due to a lack of greenery, excessive concrete, and poor urban planning. While this issue is well-documented in cities like New York and Singapore, I found shockingly little research or public awareness in Argentina.
What Made This Internship So Good?
The La Nación team gave me incredible support in developing my idea. After pitching an interactive map of heat islands, I was instantly encouraged to dive deeper. I connected with experts, accessed open-source satellite imagery, and gathered key data.
And when my research started coming together, the newsroom invested substantial time and resources to bring the piece to life.
What I loved about data journalism was the interdisciplinary collaboration. Data analysts, journalists, and graphic designers worked together to uncover and tell important stories in a way that was both rigorous and visually engaging.
The Result?
Interaction Readers could enter their postal code to see if they lived in a heat island—making the data feel real.
Media attention: The day after publication, three major TV channels covered urban heat islands, putting the issue on the public agenda.
High engagement: The article was one of the most-read pieces by subscribers, with an average reading time of 2 min 30 sec across all readers.
Bringing data to life: The final piece blended investigative reporting, video, and an interactive map—turning raw data into a story people cared about.
🎥 See how we created the article:
📚 Read the full article:
Lessons Learned: What Makes a Great Internship?
It lets you test a career hypothesis.
You get a mix of structured tasks and personal projects.
It encourages independent work while providing strong support.
For me, this internship was an incredible learning experience, and I’m grateful for the La Nación team for making it so impactful!
Hope you’re well,
Emma