Paonia, CO

Job Title: Internship

Organization: High Country News

Type of opportunity: High Country News is looking for informed and enthusiastic editorial interns and fellows to report on natural resource, environmental and community issues in the 12 Western states.

Contact: Please email brianc@hcn.org for further information.

Duties: All interns work with the staff editors to write news stories for the website and for the newsmagazine, ranging in length from 250 to 1,600 words. Depending on their experience and ability, they may also write a 2,500- to 5,000-word feature story. Our editing process is rigorous; copy goes through two layers of editing, and it is not unusual for a story to see six or eight drafts. Reporting is generally conducted over the phone and the Internet, but we also send interns and fellows into the field to do on-the-ground work.

This competitive internship requires writing skills and the ability to communicate ideas, both orally and in writing, to various audiences. We also look for strong curiosity and attention to detail. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in journalism, English or related field is also required. The internship is designed for early career journalists who understand Western issues and can bring out-of-box thinking to short news and analysis.

Desired qualifications: For all of our positions, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and some prior journalism experience and/or education is preferred. We also prefer applicants who are familiar with High Country News and who have lived in the West and know its environmental and community issues. Photographic experience and familiarity with audio and visual programs such as Final Cut Pro and Flash, as well as radio or video experience are all pluses. We strongly encourage Native American journalists, Hispanic journalists and those from other under-represented backgrounds to apply. Our fellowship is designed for journalists with experience that may preclude them from an internship and who may have something extra, in terms of experience, to bring to High Country News.

Start and end dates: The position is six months long, starting in January

Salary/pay: We provide free housing and a $220-per-week stipend for interns and free housing and a $375-per-week stipend for fellows. To help defray moving costs, an additional $500 travel stipend is available upon successful completion of the internship.

Link to more information: https://www.hcn.org/about/internships

How to apply: Applicants should send an email with attached cover letter, résumé, contact information for three references (phone and email), and three writing samples (plus multimedia samples, if applicable) to Editor-in-Chief brianc@hcn.org. Please be sure to include “internship application” or “fellowship application” in the subject line.

If emailing an application is not an option, candidates may also mail their materials to:

Western Colorado University/ ATTN High Country News
Brian Calvert
Kelley Hall
600 N. Adams Street
Gunnison, CO 81231

Application deadline: Applications must be received by March 15