Sri Lanka media internship a "passport to explore"

Brie: "I arrived in Colombo hoping to gain experience. I left with a clearer idea of the media professional I want to become."

In July 2025, I was sitting in the Stuff Digital newsroom with my university internship coming to an end, asking myself the question every almost-graduate eventually faces: what next?

That was when I came across the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s media internships and an opportunity to work at the Sri Lanka Rūpavāhinī Corporation (SLRC) in Colombo.

It would be the first time the Foundation had sent a journalist to SLRC. I applied, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

The first thing that hit me was the heat. The second was the traffic.

Tuk-tuks squeezed between buses and cars, lanes appeared to be more of a suggestion than a rule, and horns seemed to provide a constant soundtrack.

Two days after arriving in the bustling capital, Thusitha Hemantha from SLRC’s International Relations Unit, affectionately known as Mr T, picked me up and helped me learn my route to the office, whilst pointing out the best supermarkets on the way.

Brie worked for Sri Lanka Rūpavāhinī Corporation's English News desk but was in close contact with journalists working in other departments

On my first day, I quickly realised just how big the corporation was. There were Sinhala, Tamil and English newsrooms, alongside television, production and technical departments.

I spent most of my time in English news, but being surrounded by journalists working across three languages made the diversity of the newsroom impossible to miss.

Different languages, different audiences, but the same fundamental job: telling people what is happening around them.

Coming from the New Zealand Broadcasting School, I had experience with television production and editing. But working in a newsroom on the other side of the world was a whole different story.

I had to learn new systems, including Premiere Pro, adapt to a different newsroom culture, complete with an afternoon Ceylon tea break and Roti with chilli paste despite the 30-degree heat, and understand how television news was produced for a completely different audience.

That became my focus during the first week, until Mr Hissella, Head of English News, returned from China.

He walked into the newsroom with the warmth of someone I had known for years, rather than someone I had just met. After we discussed what the next few weeks could look like, he suggested I do something slightly different.

Rather than sitting behind a desk producing international news, he wanted me to tell stories about Sri Lanka from the perspective of a foreign journalist.

For me, it was exactly what I had hoped for. Suddenly, my internship became a passport to explore.

I travelled to Pahiyangala Cave, Sigiriya, explored the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura and headed south to Galle, producing stories about the places, history and people I encountered.

One of my proudest moments came at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, where I attended a Monetary Policy Review as a member of the media.

As someone who once dreamed of becoming a sports journalist, economics and monetary policy were not exactly my niche. But there I was, surrounded by experienced journalists, listening to discussions about Sri Lanka’s economy.

The head of the English News desk tasked Brie with telling stories about Sri Lanka from the perspective of a foreign journalist

After plenty of internal pep talks reminding myself that I might never get an opportunity like this again, I put my hand up and asked when Sri Lankans could expect to see some relief from the cost of living.

It might not sound revolutionary, but for me it was a milestone. I had travelled halfway around the world and found myself confidently participating in a media conference on a subject I would once have avoided.

Of course, the internship came with its fair share of challenges. There were language barriers, unfamiliar routines and, perhaps most importantly, the Sri Lankan spice.

I quickly learnt that adapting was part of the job. When words failed, hand gestures usually did the trick. Between a lot of pointing, laughing and the occasional fist pump, we always managed to work it out.

However, some of my favourite lessons happened well beyond the newsroom. Sri Lankan hospitality is something I will struggle to put into words.

Samaposha (cereal), dosa’s (salty pancakes), cream soda, samosas, mangosteens and king coconuts became part of my everyday vocabulary, while colleagues regularly went out of their way to bring me food they knew I liked.

Then there was my 91-year-old neighbour, Mrs Sam. She would invite me over for lunch, send dinner across to my apartment and check in on me as though I was her own granddaughter.

Brie celebrating Bathi Gee (traditional music) with colleagues from Rupavahini’s Sinhala, Tamil and English newsrooms during her first week in Sri Lanka

Having never lived away from home before, those small acts of kindness meant more than she probably realised. When homesickness crept in, knowing there was someone nearby looking out for me made Colombo feel a little less far from home.

But ultimately, it was the newsroom that taught me the most.

I learnt that good journalism is not simply about operating a camera, writing a script or delivering a piece to camera. It is about being curious, listening, adapting and finding ways to connect with people.

Working alongside Sinhala, Tamil and English-speaking journalists reinforced that. Journalism may look different depending on the audience, language and culture, but its fundamentals remain the same.

SLRC gave me the chance to test myself. I was trusted to tell stories, encouraged to ask questions and given the freedom to experience journalism in a way I could never have replicated in a New Zealand newsroom.

Brie: "Samaposha (cereal), dosa’s (salty pancakes), cream soda, samosas, mangosteens and king coconuts became part of my everyday vocabulary."

I arrived in Colombo hoping to gain experience. I left with a clearer idea of the media professional I want to become.

I’ll always be grateful to the Asia New Zealand Foundation and everyone at SLRC who welcomed this nervous Kiwi into their newsroom, trusted me to tell stories from their country and gave me the confidence to step outside of my comfort zone.

The Foundation's media programme helps New Zealand journalists cover stories that shed light on Asia and on New Zealand’s ties to the region. We support journalists to build their knowledge of Asia by providing media travel grants, internships in Asian newsrooms and fellowships for senior journalists.

Our media internship programme supports New Zealand journalism graduates and working journalists to intern at news organisations in Asia.