37 Internship Ideas for Journalism Students

For journalism students facing graduation, Poynter has compiled a list of 37 journalism internships and fellowships (Photo by CODNewsroom/Flickr; used under CC by 2.0)

For many college students, the fall semester is nearing its end and finals are around the corner. But while scoring a good grade on Media Theory 101 is important, internships and other work experiences are becoming more essential.

Because of slimmer resources and fewer training opportunities, a journalism grad needs to be able to hit the ground running in the newsroom.

Internships and fellowships give students that opportunity to make contacts and build their portfolio, increasing their chances in the highly competitive, post-college job market.

Now through January, journalism students will be busy filling out internship applications to land that dream gig.

The Poynter Institute’s Benjamin Mullen has taken some of the legwork out of the process by compiling a list of internships and fellowships from around the country.

The list of 37 opportunities features the need-to-knows for each internship, including application deadline, location, and pay, as well as a link to the internship application.

We’ve selected five from Poynter’s list to highlight, featured for the various locations, media types, and interests they represent. Want to read Poynter’s entire internship list? Click here.

From Poynter.org:

The Boston Globe
Deadline: Nov. 1
Location: Boston
Pay: $700 per week
Description: “Summer interns work as full-time employees for 12 weeks, between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Interns are paid a weekly wage, and shifts vary. An intern supervisor serves as a writing coach and there are weekly meetings with editors and staff members on a range of issues and topics pertaining to journalism.”

The Oregonian
Deadline: Nov. 1
Location: Portland, Ore.
Pay: $440 per week
Description: “Oregonian Media Group offers a 10-week summer intern program for college students who wish to work as multimedia journalists in The Oregonian newsroom. We’re looking for primarily upperclassmen with previous internship experience who want to work in a digital-first environment doing smart stories for readers of OREGONLIVE.COM online and The Oregonian in print. We want critical thinkers, students who have a portfolio that shows ambition and skill across platforms, reporters and photographers who want to make a difference with readers – however those readers find us.
If selected, you will be assigned to a team for the summer, paired with a staff mentor and provided opportunities to learn from experienced journalists through group discussions with other interns.”

Texas Tribune News Apps Internships
Deadline: Nov. 15
Location: Austin, Texas
Pay: $5,000 over 10 weeks
Description: “Are you a journalism student or would-be reporter in another major? Know a little bit about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and/or Python/Django, and would like to continue to hone your skills? Are you passionate about politics, policy and open government? You should join us. You’ll work directly with news apps developers, reporters and editors in the newsroom. Interns are first-class citizens on our team – in the past, they’ve had the opportunity to not only contribute to high-profile projects but to take the lead on them. You’ll get to create data visualizations and maps, participate in an active and friendly newsroom, play a role in editorial meetings and contribute to a number of different beats. We’re looking for someone passionate about web standards and the little details. Someone willing to show their work. Someone looking to learn. If you’re interested, send your resume and links to previous projects and/or your GitHub account to [email protected].”

NPR’s Kroc Fellowship:
Deadline: Dec. 31
Location: NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., and member station
Pay: $40,000 per year
Description: “The Fellowship is designed to offer exposure to various units at NPR, in both the News and Digital Divisions, and at an NPR Member Station. NPR Kroc Fellows work alongside some of the nation’s most respected reporters, producers and editors and receive regular instruction in writing for radio and on-air performance. The Fellowship begins in August and lasts one year. Fellows receive a stipend of more than $40,000 and benefits, including paid vacation. NPR will provide Kroc Fellows with professional guidance and assist in job placement.”

Associated Press Global News Internship
Deadline: Not settled yet; likely the first week of January
Location: Major cities throughout the world
Pay: Not listed
Description: “The summer 2014 Global News Internship is a paid, highly selective, 12-week individually tailored training program for students who are aspiring cross-format journalists. Interns must have experience and/or training in video and one other format. They will contribute to AP’s text, video, photo and interactive reporting.”

If you know of other journalism and media internships, send Benjamin Mullen an email at [email protected] or tweet your suggestions to #POYinternlist.

Evelyn Tipacti is a community relations specialist at ProfNet, a service that connects journalists with expert sources.  She is a former broadcast journalist with years of experience behind the television camera and radio mic.

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