Partnership with Nine to increase student career aspirations
Nine Publishing has partnered with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, providing professional experiences and career guidance to our students through internship programs, masterclasses and student-industry networking events for the next two years.
In this newly formed partnership, our students will engage with Nine Publishing’s The Sydney Morning Herald in a variety of activities including paid summer internships, student masterclasses, and work integrated learning activities. The proposed opportunities will allow students to explore career options in media and publishing, gain a deeper understanding about the industry, and apply their knowledge into practice.
In paid internships, a total of four students will gain professional work experience over the five-week period in summer 2025 and 2026. In 2025, students were involved in researching, pitching and writing stories, collaborating with journalists, and taking additional duties aligned with their interests and talents. Students received direct feedback from their internship supervisors, allowing them to make improvements on their performance in the professional context.
Media and Communications students Nicholas Osiowy, and Alyssa Talakovski successfully completed their internship at Nine Publishing in summer 2025. Alyssa shared her positive experience, "Working alongside such a supportive and highly intelligent group of reporters motivated me to expand my professional network, particularly on LinkedIn. Ultimately, the role affirmed my passion for reporting, solidifying my decision to pursue journalism."
Working alongside such a supportive and highly intelligent group of reporters motivated me to expand my professional network, particularly on LinkedIn.
Alyssa Talakovski, Media and Communications student
“Working alongside such a supportive and highly intelligent group of reporters motivated me to expand my professional network, particularly on LinkedIn.”Alyssa Talakovski, Media and Communications student
In student masterclasses, Nine will share their industry insights through presentation and discussion and address questions raised by our students. The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences have previously delivered masterclasses including Reflections on a half century of Economics Journalism with Ross Gittins, Economics Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Beyond the silver screen: Why film festivals matter in an unsettled world with panel speakers including Frances Wallace, CEO, Sydney Film Festival.
We look forward to delivering these initiatives in collaboration with Nine Publishing, connecting industry expertise with students’ learning.
Herald editor Bevan Shields said: “In a rapidly evolving media landscape, it’s essential we continue the really important tradition of exposing emerging journalists to newsrooms. It’s a win-win for everyone. The Sydney Morning Herald newsroom was delighted to host Alyssa and Nicholas as part of the first internship program with the University of Sydney. They should be proud of the stories they’ve published in the Herald”.
To explore our partnership opportunities, please visit our Partner with us webpage.
Hero image: Alyssa Talakovski, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications) completed a 6-week summer internship program with The Sydney Morning Herald. Alyssa’s stories were published on smh.com.au, theage.com.au, and in print in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.