Internships
    

Thank you for your interest in our internship programs. Various sections within USA TODAY, including its website and TV divisions, need interns, year-round, in McLean, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. Internships are limited to students who will receive academic credit for their experience. If you have graduated, please instead go to our job site, and click on Virginia, or visit the Gannett career site.

In your internship inquiry, submit your cover letter and resume to each division that interests you; for instance, if you seek a position on the website or the TV operation, craft an e-mail to each. If you submit an application one semester but are not selected, you may reapply, reiterating your interest, updating your qualifications and detailing your availability. Occasionally a student can secure an internship after the initial deadlines, which are summer, Dec. 1; autumn, April 1; and spring and holiday interim, Oct. 15.


Our semester-long fall, spring and summer internship assignments include:

  • News (Print and Dot-com)

    		•  

  • Sports (Print and Dot-com)

    		•  

  • Editorial Page (Print and Dot-com)

    		•  

  • Life (Print and Dot-com)

    		•  

  • Money (Print and Dot-com)

    		•  

  • Travel (Dot-com only)

    		•  

  • Tech (Dot-com only)

    		•  

  • Weather (Dot-com only)

    		•  

  • Multimedia/Graphics (Print and Dot-com)

    		•  

  • Copy editing (Print only in News, Money or Life)

    		•  

  • Page layout/Design (Print only in News, Money, Life)

    		•  

  • NY Bureau (Print and Dot-com in News, Money, Sports and Life)

    		•  

  • Computer Assisted Reporting (Print and Dot-com)

    		•      

    Standard minimum work commitment is 15-20 hours, two to three days a week for 12 weeks. Specific hours and days vary with assignments but may include evening and Sunday hours.

    Given our expectations for polish and execution, print desks prefer previous internship experience or a leadership role in your campus newspaper and Dot-com desks prefer Web-friendly seniors and graduate students, but exceptional underclass students may qualify. While Dot-com internships focus primarily on editing, rewrite, packaging and enhancing content, they also include designing the website to include conceptualizing and creating multimedia graphics, shooting and editing video. Students with Flash and Action Scripting skills are especially urged to apply.

    Demonstrable experience, skills and traits:

  • Journalistic editing (keen knowledge of news style, grammar, punctuation, etc.) and headline writing skills

  • Strong and adaptable computer literacy skills (preferably use of Windows) — and also, for Dot-com, knowledge of digital imaging software and elementary HTML and interest in interactive media technology

  • Demonstrated interest in — and knowledge of — current events

  • Ability to work quickly in a competitive and deadline-oriented news environment while exhibiting flexibility

  • Ability to conceptualize, package and present content in written and visual terms, for Dot-com in particular

  • Preference for an office environment (you won't be on the street like a beat reporter; nor can you telecommute from your campus)

  • Multimedia candidates should be familiar with/adaptable to programs like Avid, Final Cut Pro and/or CoolEdit

  • Graphics candidates should possess Macintosh skills with an understanding of Flash, HTML, and a proficiency in Freehand, Photoshop and/or Illustrator.

  • Willingness to work independently, welcome and solicit feedback, and work and communicate well with others as part of a team

    Responsibilities for interns vary with specific assignments but may include:

  • Select, edit, publish stories

  • Learn how paper, Web interact

    • For Multimedia/Graphics

  • Provide research

  • Research, edit photo galleries

  • Edit audio and/or video

  • Write headlines

  • Limited reporting/writing

  • Research, design graphics

  • Produce charts and tables

  • Interaction with public

  • Help produce special features

    • APPLICATION DEADLINES
    Although we may accept later applications as needs dictate, early submission improves your chances. Most of our interns will be selected within a few weeks of these deadlines. Don't miss out; apply early.

  • Spring: October 15

  • Summer: December 1

  • Autumn: April 1

    • APPLICATION PROCESS
    In your e-mail submission to our Newsroom Interns box, include:

  • A cover letter. At the top, indicate up to three prioritized preferences among the sections/specialties listed above, although internship offers may also be based on experience and newsroom needs. (Some sections secure more than one intern each term. If you are willing to work nights and/or weekends and have interests beyond News, Life or Sports, you may have a greater likelihood of being selected. Detail your skills. Indicate your availability — dates, days and hours — and estimate your school's expectations for hours of service weekly or for the term. Provide names and contact information for three references.

  • Attach your resume.

  • For print: Attach three to five clips (in Word document, PDF or other MS-compatible format; no Web links)

  • For Dot-com: Attach clips and/or include a link to your Web site (if you have one). Dot-com applicants should be ready to take a skills drill - the same one taken by job candidates — that will include writing headlines and summaries (briefs) and a test of current events or basic familiarity with the content covered by the section(s) of your choice.

    		•