Observer Internships

Texas Observer Legislative Fellows

The Texas Observer Legislative Fellowship is an apprenticeship program for young reporters who want to help our muckraking staff cover the 2015 session of the Texas Legislature.

This is one of the best journalism apprenticeships around. For five months, from January to June, Legislative Fellows become part of the Observer’s award-winning team. You won’t be photocopying, answering phones or transcribing interviews you didn’t conduct. You’ll be reporting real news.

We help Observer Fellows learn how to develop sources, find stories, follow legislation, and track campaign contributions and lobbyist filings. Fellows will learn how to identify the special interests behind a bill or amendment and how to interview elected officials to get past the talking points. Then we turn Fellows loose in the Texas Capitol to cover the legislative session. Fellows will be expected to shoot photos as well, so photography skills are a plus.

Former Observer Fellows have gone on to jobs at Texas Monthly, The Texas Tribune, The New York Times and even The Texas Observer, among other publications.

The Observer is a nonprofit statewide magazine based in Austin. Since 1954, the Observer has covered important stories that go underreported or ignored by other media outlets. We specialize in investigative reporting, tell-it-like-it-is political coverage and narrative storytelling. The Observer publishes a monthly print magazine and produces daily stories at texasobserver.org.

To apply, email a resume, cover letter and your three best clips to Managing Editor Brad Tyer at [email protected]. Please put “Legislative Fellowship” in the subject line. Tell us about any specific policy areas you’re interested in covering, and why. The deadline to apply is Nov. 17.

Details:

—The Fellowship runs from Jan. 5 to June 1.

—Fellows receive a small stipend and are paid a per-word rate for feature stories.

—Fellows are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours per week, though Fellows benefit from spending as much time at the Capitol as possible.

—Fellows write short items and dispatches for the Observer website nearly every day. There are also opportunities to write longer stories for both the website and the monthly magazine.

—Fellows are assigned to work with Observer staff writers, who serve as mentors.

—Undergrads, graduate students and recent graduates are all encouraged to apply. We welcome candidates with diverse academic backgrounds, but we give preference to applicants pursuing a career in journalism.

Texas Observer Editorial Interns

Three times a year — at the start of fall semester, spring semester, and summer session — the Observer takes on two news interns and one intern concentrating on cultural coverage.

Observer internships are unpaid, but may be taken for course credit where so offered. Editorial interns are paid for work published in the monthly print magazine, and online at texasobserver.org, at regular freelance rates.

We expect and encourage editorial interns to generate as much bylined material as motivation and skill will allow. We ask for a commitment of about 20 hours a week, but we’re reasonably flexible about scheduling the hours.

Successful Observer interns will research, report, and write. They will blog. They will check facts and proof pages. They will attend weekly story meetings and learn how to develop a successful pitch. They will work under the direct mentorship of skilled editors and nationally recognized reporters to produce substantive work for one of the nation’s last bastions of noncommercial, mission-driven journalism and longform narrative.

They will not be asked to make coffee.

The positions have historically proved best suited for journalism-school graduate students, though undergraduates or civilians with substantial writing and reporting chops will be considered. Collegiality and a working sense of humor required.

Website: www.texasobserver.org

Location: Downtown Austin: 307 W. 7th St.

To apply: Editorial intern applicants should submit a brief cover letter, resume, and no more than three published clips or other appropriate reporting/writing samples to managing editor Brad Tyer: [email protected].

The Texas Observer is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, political affiliation, religion, gender, disability, and/or sexual orientation.

Texas Observer Design Intern
The primary responsibilities for this position include the following:

• Design in-house ads and buttons for the magazine and website;
• Design promotional items for the Observer store;
• Design campaign materials for fundraising events and mailers;
• Design campaign themes for use in web and print;
• Other design tasks as assigned;

Requirements:
• High School diploma and Bachelor’s Degree in progress;
• Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator;
• Experience and demonstrated skill in advertising design;
• Strong communications skills;
• Organized and efficient, works equally well independently and with others;
• Can handle multiple priorities and tasks;
• Available at least 10 hours per week

Website: www.texasobserver.org
Pay: $10 per hour
Location: downtown Austin: 307 W. 7th St

To apply: Please send Emily Williams your resume and portfolio of your work (or link to your website) at [email protected]

Business Team Marketing and Fundraising Intern
The primary responsibilities for this position include the following:

• Assist the Publisher in implementing a fundraising program, special event marketing, and marketing of various products and programs.
• Assist in creating and organizing fundraising and promotional events
• Research potential partners for The Texas Observer
• Assist the Membership Manager with marketing and retaining memberships and subscriptions.
• Manage 1-2 marketing and/or fundraising projects fully, for example creating and marketing a new merchandise sales program or other project as assigned.
• Help with some administrative tasks, including mailings and helping to respond to requests for information
• Other tasks as assigned

We ask that our interns have a high school diploma and, ideally, a bachelor’s degree in progress, with a major in Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Journalism, Communications, Business Management or Nonprofit Management; a demonstrated interest in marketing, journalism and/or fundraising; strong communications skills; the ability to work independently and with others in a fast-paced office; the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously; and be available at least 10 hours per week.

To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter to Emily Williams at [email protected].

Business and marketing internships are unpaid. Interns will be paid the regular freelance fee for published work. Interns are encouraged to attend workshops, lectures and other staff development events. Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.