Redakteure Paralympics Zeitung 2016: Journalistic skills and samba

Miriam Karout will be among the German students taking part in the Paralympic Post project in Rio 2016, along with young journalists from Brazil and Britain. The 20 year-old media and communications student was born in Düsseldorf but is now studying at the American University of Beirut in her father’s native Lebanon. She later hopes to pursue a masters in middle-eastern studies, and ever the keen traveller, she hopes to study abroad. Miriam’s winning submission to the competition included an interview with the Lebanese Paralympic Committee which highlighted the struggles of Paralympic athletes to obtain the right prosthetics and training facilities in countries where the Paralympic movement is still somewhat of a mystery to the wider society. Her talents do not lie only in her journalistic ability but her willingness and enthusiasm to try new things, after once spontaneously taking part in a 3 day samba workshop, a skill she hopes to take up again in Rio! Miriam’s hobbies also include belly-dance, kick-boxing and playing the flute. As well as perfecting her dance moves Miriam is also looking forward to putting into practice everything she has learnt at university. She is eager to gain authentic journalistic experience, indeed it was when she was doing an internship at NDR that a colleague saw the advertisement about the Paralympic Post competition and encouraged Miriam to apply.

She herself admits that before entering the competition she had not had much experience of Paralympic sport. However she hopes that the Games in Rio will be an opportunity “to learn so much about journalism, sport and inclusion.” When asked how she felt about the good news, she said she was “so surprised” when she found out that she was successful, but thinks that her previous experience and the fact she can speak Arabic, and her unique article made an ideal candidate.

Lucy Michaeloudis