Journalism internships for high school students offer practical experience and opportunities to work with hands-on projects. If you are deciding whether to become an intern, note that the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that 65 percent of employers prefer candidates who have relevant work experience. Journalism jobs are no exception.
In this guide, we’ll do a deep dive into high school journalism internships, explain how to access them, and analyze their benefits. We’ll also introduce you to the top internships in journalism, including journalism summer high school internships, and recommend classes for high school students who want to have a headstart in their careers.
Can High School Students Access Journalism Internships?
Yes, there are many ways to access journalism internships. News organizations and media outlets have annual journalism internship programs that high schoolers can easily apply to. Alternatively, students can reach out to local newspapers and TV stations to see if there are any internship placement opportunities or join journalism clubs to benefit from their opportunities.
Are There Journalism Summer High School Internships?
Summer internships in journalism cater to many interests, including reporting, writing, and photojournalism. To get admitted to a summer program, you’ll need to apply as early as possible. The NACE Internship and Co-op Survey report states that employers start recruiting interns at least eight and half months before their programs begin.
Why Are Internships Important for High School Students?
- Experience. While a degree may give you theoretical knowledge of journalism, internships develop your critical thinking skills and give you hands-on experience of what it’s like to work in a professional newsroom.
- Networking. When you’re applying for competitive job positions, it helps to provide referrals from industry experts in that field. Doing an internship program can help you form relationships with said experts.
- College Admission. Internships weigh heavily in the college admissions process. Doing one with prestigious international media outlets like CNN or BBC can strengthen your college application and get you admitted to your dream school.
- Employment. Many news organizations opt to retain interns as full-time journalists. According to Indeed, aside from getting employment from other organizations, benefits of doing an internship include the opportunity to transition to a permanent job.
Top 10 High School Journalism Internships
Boston University Summer Journalism Academy
- Location: Boston, MA, Online
- Length: Two weeks
- Time Commitment: Five to six hours a day
Boston University’s summer academy is all about the practical application of journalism. Students get hands-on training from professional journalists and practice with daily reporting assignments to build intensive, hands-on experience in various fields of journalism. Industry leaders appear as guest speakers and give students advice about journalism topics.
Broadcast Journalism Camp
- Location: New York City, NY
- Length: Three weeks
- Time Commitment: Full-time
The Broadcast Journalism Camp hosts training sessions for students pursuing a career in broadcast TV, cable, and Internet news. Students learn about the fundamental principles of broadcast journalism from industry experts and participate in hands-on projects to build real-world skills.
Film, Journalism & Media Arts at the National Student Leadership Conference
- Location: Washington DC, San Francisco, CA
- Length: Nine days
- Time Commitment: Full-time intensive program
This Discover the World of Communication program is in partnership with American University’s School of Communication. Students immerse themselves in the world of journalism through intensive workshops, guest speaker talks, and behind-the-scenes tours of media houses.
Iowa Summer Journalism Workshop
- Location: Online
- Length: Four days
- Time Commitment: Six and a half hours per day
The Iowa Summer Journalism Workshop offers intensive workshop programs in leadership, personal writing, advanced graphic design, yearbook, investigative reporting, and photojournalism. High school students interested in developing their writing skills in any of these areas can apply to the program. According to US News, University of Iowa is one of the most prestigious schools for writing.
JCamp
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Length: Six days
- Time Commitment: Full-time
The Asian American Journalists Association started JCamp to encourage students from disadvantaged communities to pursue careers in journalism. Its curriculum consists of intensive workshops, tours, and hands-on training. Students who enroll in the program learn about fundamental leadership skills, journalism ethics, and the importance of diversity in the newsroom.
Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute
- Location: Evanston, IL, Online
- Length: Five weeks
- Time Commitment: 20 hours per week
Students in the field of journalism have the opportunity to learn from journalism professionals and gain experience by participating in hands-on workshops at Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute. For five weeks, students will cover several aspects of journalism, including news writing, digital editing, creative writing, and digital design.
Mosaic Journalism Program
- Location: San Jose, CA or Online
- Length: Two weeks
- Time Commitment: Full-time
The Mosaic Journalism Program gives students from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to learn valuable job skills directly from professional journalists. Attendance is free, thanks to funding from the Dow Jones News Fund. Students of the program learn a wide range of new multimedia skills and have a chance to feature writing on the program website.
NYU Urban Journalism Workshop
- Location: New York City, NY
- Length: 10 days
- Time Commitment: Full-time
High school students who are at least 16 can apply to New York University’s annual workshop, where they will hone their writing skills and gain newsroom practice. NYU provides housing for interns, so selected students will get to experience college life in NYU dorms.
Princeton Summer Journalism Program
- Location: Princeton, NJ
- Length: 10 days
- Time Commitment: Full-time
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is a college prep institute for talented high school students from disadvantaged communities. Students learn about journalism from journalism professionals and industry experts. At the end of the program, they publish their work in the Princeton Summer Journal, a student-run school newspaper.
Washington Journalism and Media Conference
- Location: Fairfax, VA
- Length: One week
- Time Commitment: Full-time
Students gather at George Mason University for the Washington Journalism and Media Conference every year. Throughout the week, they explore the various fields of study in journalism. They also participate in hands-on training sessions hosted by industry leaders and award-winning journalists.
Journalism Classes for High School Students
You don’t need to go to college or journalism school to build a career in journalism. You can enroll in journalism courses and start learning right now. Here are some of the best journalism courses available to high school students.
- Report NY by New York University. This course covers the basics of reporting including gathering information, assessing it, and writing a news story. Students need not have any prior journalism experience to enroll in this course.
- Introduction to Journalism and Nonfiction by Columbia University. This course blends journalism and storytelling and teaches students to create compelling stories from actual events.
- Introduction to Investigative Journalism by The School of New York Times. This course teaches basic principles of investigative journalism, including researching, protecting sources, and work ethics.
- Gathering and Developing the News by Michigan State University. This course gives insight into how journalists turn information into newsworthy stories. It teaches you how to interview sources to uncover information and create a news story.
- Visualization for Data Journalism by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This course teaches students how to use python to present data in an easily understandable format.
Should You Do an Internship in High School?
Yes, you should do an internship in high school. You’ll gain hands-on experience in your field and build an impressive job portfolio. Other ways you can gain experience are by doing a self-directed project and enrolling in bootcamps on related subjects like data visualization, which could be useful in journalism.
Journalism Internships for High School Students FAQ
The whole point of internships is to help students gain experience, so most internship programs do not require any prior journalism experience. However, remember that journalism internships are usually very competitive. Including a previous internship or self-directed project in your application can improve your chances of getting admitted.
Depending on their field of study, journalism interns can have different roles. A multiplatform editing intern is responsible for reforming news stories to suit different platforms, while an audio intern focuses on creating news stories for radio. However, an intern’s daily responsibilities generally fall into planning, researching, creating, editing, and publishing news stories for consumption.
According to ZipRecruiter, journalism internships pay an average of $3,436 monthly. However, remuneration for a high school journalism internship varies with the program. Some programs pay students a stipend, and some are unpaid. Other programs may offer students college credit in return for their work.
Like any other interview, the key to acing your journalism interview is preparation. Arrive on time, be courteous, and do your research. Draw knowledge from people who have experienced an internship interview, practice common internship interview questions, and most important of all, be yourself.
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