Deadline: October 6, 2017
Apply to Spend a Summer at The Washington Post (The Post). This 2018 Newsroom Summer Internship Program is an opportunity to be a reporter, photographer, videographer, multiplatform editor or producer, news or digital designer, graphics reporter or developer, or social media producer at The Post.
Interns report and write articles, edit copy, take photographs, shoot and edit video, create graphics and design on multiple platforms. Washington Post interns have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes, and in the case of Leonard Downie Jr., to become executive editor.
The Post was founded in 1877 and owned by the Meyer-Graham family from 1933 to 2013, when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought the company. The Post has won more than 60 Pulitizer Prizes and has more than tripled its digital audience since Bezos bought it.
Internship Roles
- Reporters: Clear, concise, energetic writing is highly valued. Conventional coverage of news events should be demonstrated, but a higher value is placed upon enterprise reporting that shows creative, inventive or investigative skills. Writing for the web is also highly valued. Please indicate your reporting assignment preference: General Assignments (includes national and health/science), Foreign (assignments would be in the Washington newsroom), Arts, Entertainment and Culture, Local, Sports or Editorial. No more than five clips.
- Visual Journalists: For digital photographers, candidates must be proficient in Photoshop CS, photo management software, and Mac and PC platforms. Your application must include a portfolio. Videographers must be proficient in all aspects of digital video/audio and editing software, including Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere. Experience with voiceover narration and HTML is helpful. Required portfolio must be attached. Please indicate your assignment preference: Photography or Video.
- Multiplatform Editors: Successful editors must be able to edit for multiple platforms, writing headlines that are tailored for print and digital audiences. Editors must also have a keen understanding of style, grammar and sentence structure, and must be able to edit for clarity. We also value editors who can detect problems in stories and work with others to make them better. Writing captions for photo galleries, proofing pages and the ability to work calmly under intense deadlines are also requirements, as is strong news judgment. Include up to six examples of news or feature stories you have edited, preferably files that include a headline and caption(s) for web or print.
- Multiplatform Producers: The producer will be responsible for updating the web and mobile sites with fresh content and making sure article pages have critical web elements. We are looking for interns with solid news judgment, the ability to write smart headlines and blurbs and experience at packaging web stories, photo galleries and videos. An ideal candidate also will be adept at analyzing traffic data and web trends, understanding search engine optimization, be a quick and effective problem solver and be able to quickly learn to use new web publishing tools.
- News Designers: The designers craft the visual presentation of our content across platforms. Assignments will include design of National, Foreign, Financial, Metro and Features pages in print, as well as related online content. Strong news judgment, photo editing and copy editing skills are required. Designers often commission freelance illustrations and collaborate with other editors. Photoshop, InDesign, CSS and HTML skills are key. Send a portfolio that includes five to 10 examples of your print and/or digital design work. The portfolio should be contained in one PDF or link on your application form.
- Digital Designers: The designers make high-impact digital news experiences come alive. From conceiving novel story experiences to designing innovative pages, the interns will work closely with senior designers and editors to create advanced storytelling forms across all our products. A candidate must be a strong visual designer and should be proficient in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Experience working with photography and video is preferred. Send a portfolio that includes five to 10 examples of your digital design work. The portfolio should be contained in one PDF or link on your application form.
- Graphics Reporters: The graphics reporters tell visual stories and present data on the web. A candidate should be able to utilize the entire storytelling toolbox — writing, reporting, charting, mapping and data visualization — and know how to weave it all together to tell engaging stories. Send a portfolio that includes five to 10 examples of your graphics work. The portfolio should be contained in one PDF or link on your application form.
- Graphics Developers: The successful candidate will be a self-starter who thrives in a deadline-oriented environment. The position calls for design and programming skills, a passion for news, and an understanding of the inner-workings of the web. The developer is a member of a larger technology team and plays a key role in supporting content production. The candidate will create, or assist in creating, news applications such as data-driven maps, databases, social media apps, widgets and mobile tools that will either stand alone or be paired with other digital content. They will work closely with reporters and editors in the newsroom, either through mining existing data on the web, taking in feeds, or working with digital producers to imagine new ways to present information. They will work with the design and development team to indicate, design and help develop tools digital producers can use to enhance engagement. They will work closely with The Washington Post development team as they write code and manage application services across the site. Candidates must be proficient in CSS(3), HTML(5), JQuery, JavaScript and must have experience in developing with databases, XML, JSON, PHP and/or Django. Send a portfolio that includes five to 10 examples of your development work. The portfolio should be contained in one PDF or link on your application form.
- Social Media Producers: The producers foster engaging and useful conversation on washingtonpost.com and social media platforms. We are looking for students who have an ability to identify and participate in online communities, big and small. Familiarity with web publishing and basic HTML is required. Please send at least one sample of an online discussion you’ve led and include links to your personal social media handles and/or accounts you have managed. The most successful candidates live and breathe the Internet and can write well, too.
Benefits
The Post pays everyone who works for them, including interns. For summer 2017, the salary was $750 per week.
Eligibility
- You must be a college junior, senior or graduate student enrolled in a degree program on Oct. 6, 2017.
- You must have had at least one professional news media job or internship.
- Foreign citizens can apply for internships.
- All work samples must be submitted in English.
- If selected, the necessary documentation for obtaining the proper U.S work visa must be provided.
Application
- Complete the online application and attach all relevant materials, including résumé, work samples and autobiographical essay.
- All work submitted must be in English.
Once your application is submitted, you will receive a notification that it has been received. Final selections will be made and e-mail notifications will be sent by Nov. 17, 2017.
For more information, visit The Washington Post Summer Internship.
