POLAND: Sandra Meunier is a multi-talented woman who has worked as a journalist and news representative in Polish television for over 12 years. She has mastered the art of changing journalism and is now a well-known journalist.
Astounding journey of Sandra Meunier
Sandra’s desire to work as a journalist and be a part of the television industry dates back to her childhood.
Sandra, like any other young girl, aspired to work in the entertainment industry.
The fact that she has always been hungry for life and curious about the world sparked her interest in journalism. “Journalism is a career that allows me to travel to different countries and do anything I want while also allowing me to explore the worlds of music and movies,” she said.
She worked as an assistant journalist for Wiadomoci, Poland’s largest news program, for three years. Sandra began her career as a full-fledged journalist ten years ago, when she began performing her own reports immediately after that, which was a long experience for her.
She described journalism as a world exploration and a blend of vocations when she spoke about her early days.
“A journalist is a career that brings together all of the world’s vocations,” she said.
Everything from the pandemic to the Ukraine-Russia conflict had a significant impact on journalism
When asked about the key focus areas of journalism in Poland, she defines Ukraine and Russian aggression as the main topic in Poland’s media, such as newspapers, radio, TV, and the internet.
“It is a tough situation, and since 24 February, when this war started, more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees have found shelter in our country,” she added.
The pandemic has had an influence on Sandra’s life, as it has on everyone else’s. Her traditional journalism was turned into a digital one, with Skype and Zoom meetings serving as a conduit between the globe and herself.
On the other hand, the pandemic has ruined many of her plans.
She elaborated on the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot while discussing the Cambodian genocide.
“This story shocked me so much that I decided to go back there and make a report, but there was an pandemic outbreak. So, I needed to stop for two years. It was something significant to me and the pandemic destroyed my plans,” she added.
Sandra was not left behind by the pandemic’s ability to inspire creativity in confined spaces. As a result, she contributed a chapter to Kazanka’s Line of Fire: Partisan Journalists, a book about Belarus journalists.
The book details the journalist’s ordeal during the Minsk demonstration.
Qualities of a journalist
“I think the most important thing is to just believe in yourself,” Sandra brilliantly responded when questioned about the traits required for journalism.
“If you want something, time doesn’t matter. So be patient and do whatever you can to improve your skills,” she added further.
Sandra shared her viewpoint on whether journalism is a vocation or a passion in the most liberal way.
“It’s somewhere in the middle. It is, of course, my greatest passion, but it is also my profession. As a result, we now live in a period when everyone may be a journalist. You may become a journalist by simply writing something on the internet,” she continued.
When asked what else she could do if she wasn’t a journalist, Sandra replied, “I was thinking about being a dancer because I had been dancing for many years. I was dancing to hip-hop, jazz, and many other techniques.”
Watch the whole interview here:
