Article pits Hun against student intern

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A MELBOURNE University student who interned at the Herald Sun newspaper has sparked criticism over a story she wrote for the university's student magazine, in which she describes the tabloid's editors as homophobic, sexist and ''heteronormative''.

Media and communications undergraduate student Sasha Burden, whose identity was confirmed to The Age by student editors last night but who did not wish to comment, wrote anonymously in Farrago magazine about her two weeks at the paper in an article titled ''The Hun Mole: Notes From a Tabloid Newsroom''.

She said the experience had been ''horrific'' and described situations in which editors had patronised her by calling her names.

''Throughout the week, I was consistently subjected to patronising attitudes, being referred to as 'Little Bud', 'Champ' and 'Kidlet'. Men were also continuously and unnecessarily sexist, waiting for me to walk through doors and leave the elevator before them.
She also wrote of the pressure to write stories she felt were offensive.

''On the seventh day, I was asked to write a story about pigs being used to test breast augmentation in a 'humorous' tone. I found the proposition absurd and informed my superior that I felt the story was essentially government funded animal cruelty. His response: 'You don't mind if I buxom bacon it up? It's worth it just so we can use the phrase perky porkers.' The story did not end up going to print.''

Ms Burden's article continues: ''On the sixth day, a senior journalist sitting across from me repeatedly made transphobic comments to a peer who was discussing a potential story on a trans person with him. His remarks included, 'He? She? It?' 'There has to be a photo of it' and 'You should put the heading - My Life As A She-Man! or G-Boy.'' No one in the newsroom reacted.''

Herald Sun editor-in-chief Phil Gardner responded directly by penning a letter to the university's internship co-ordinator, Hugh McNaughtan, accusing the student of being guilty of the same bias she accuses the paper of.

''It is ironic that Ms Burden criticises the supposed bias of Herald Sun reporters and lack of balance in Herald Sun reports, yet at no stage in the drafting of her Farrago article did Ms Burden offer HWT a right of reply to any of the criticisms raised,'' Gardner wrote.

''We would have liked the opportunity to address her concerns while she was here but at no time during her two-week internship did she raise � any issues or concerns relating to the nature and the people and processes she was exposed to.''

The article, published two weeks ago in print and online, has since circulated widely on Twitter, sparking a war of words between people in the industry.

ABC journalist Eric Campbell defended Ms Burden: ''Is there anything more pathetic than a metropolitan newspaper having a tantrum over an intern's comments in a student newspaper?''

Others, such as ABC's PM presenter Mark Colvin, criticised her: ''I've never known a newsroom where people didn't say insensitive things and use dark humour.''