Dev Blog

Page updated 3 February 2026, 2:34PM

These posts aren’t written with assessment in mind, I just wanted a space to talk about my process. I am not trying to match the Spectator’s house style here, nor am I trying to do anything impressive with words. Rather, I want to speak with honesty and candour about the steps I’m taking to prepare for submission day.

The majority of posts will be short, and thrown together in two hours or less. They’ll explore the progress I’ve made lately, the steps I’m taking to pursue a career in journalism, and what I plan to do next. After hitting publish, I won’t go back to reword or fix typos unless absolutely necessary.

Some will be longer and more involved – especially those involving data or research. For example, while the actual Data Journalism internship tasks are impossible to prepare for, I’m using 2025’s Lunchtime Espresso challenge to train my newsfinding skills and learn to use datawrapper.

3 February 2026

Why am I doing all this?
I really do believe in high-effort applications. I believe in them the same way other people believe in prayer: in a cruel and uncaring job market, they’re the only thing which keeps me forging ahead. Because of this, I’m trying my absolute hardest to secure this internship at the Spectator. In mathematical terms, this is wildly irrational behaviour. This year’s challenges haven’t been announced yet, so attempting to prepare for them will involve a lot of guessing. Between this scattershot approach and the internship’s short duration, I’ll likely spend more unpaid hours on my portfolio than I will in an office.