What journalism interns think of remote internships
A few weeks ago, we asked student journalists to tell us about their summer experience as internships moved online due to the pandemic. We received more than 50 responses from students across the country.
While this is a fraction of the hundreds of hardworking journalism interns who told important stories for communities, we wanted to highlight some of the aggregate points made here.
We asked about cancellations: Seven interns said their internships were canceled due to Covid-19. In particular, one noted that broadcast programs struggled to accommodate online internships.
We asked about pay: Six interns said they were not paid during their internships. Four interns said they saw pay reduced because of Covid-19. Of those whose pay was reduced, one said it was especially challenging because they budgeted their year around the expectation they would be earning the original amount.
We asked what went well.
Having a designated editor for each story – or generally – who an intern reported to cut down on confusion and gave them a point person to ask questions and receive guidance.
Slack helped interns communicate not just with the newsroom but with each other. Many said they found events and casual discussions with other interns just as beneficial as discussions with staffers.
“The interns have a Slack channel where we can talk with one another and we have a weekly “lunch meeting” so we can get to know each other.”
Mentorship was one of the most common citations of a successful remote internship program as it gave interns someone to go to for advice who didn’t directly oversee them. In some cases, this was the result of a designated matching program between interns and staffers.
Virtual workshops and trainings gave interns an opportunity to virtually be exposed to the newsroom and staffers who covered different beats or worked on different teams.
Casual Zoom meetings with staff helped cut down on formality and gave a semblance of normalcy and out-of-work chats that would happen during an in-person internship.
Attending team, departmental and editors' meetings helped interns get a sense of how a newsroom functioned and the office culture. It also kept them engaged with what types of stories and projects they could pitch or work on.
Constant communication from managers was really important in lieu of face-to-face contact. Interns collectively highlighted this as much as they did the need for mentoring programs. On the flip side, many said lack of communication from managers was problematic.
We asked what went badly.
Difficulty figuring out the org chart and who did what was the biggest issue. Part of the newsroom experience is finding out which department sits where and being able to grab coffee with those folks. Interns felt by and large there wasn’t that same opportunity to connect with different people online.
Lack of connectivity was also challenging, with some having issues with WiFi and video calling, which impeded their ability to work.
Lack of social connection. Many interns felt like it was difficult to recreate social connections made in an in-person internship.
“The really big thing is I’m just super sad at how few reporters I’ve met and talked to. I think I’ve only talked to four reporters for more than two minutes at a time. I see the awesome work they’re doing and it just makes me really sad I don’t have the opportunity to learn from them. ”
Finding stories and sources was challenging for those whose internships were in a different location than they were based. While some editors or staffers helped with sourcing and generating ideas specific to a community, some found it difficult to navigate this never having been to the area a publication covered.
Not knowing when staff were furloughed. Interns said they often didn’t know who on staff was being furloughed, when and for how long last summer. From one student: “The thing that made my internship most difficult was furlough rounds. Reporters and editors were furloughed for one week out of every month for the last two months. It was tough to get in touch with people when I needed a question answered.”
“Make sure you are able to pay interns. Make sure that your interns will be supported in whatever capacity that is needed. ”