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Internship Program

Connecting New Jersey's local news organizations with talented university students through a statewide paid internship program.

Overview

Program Overview

The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, in collaboration with its six member universities, runs a statewide paid internship program to connect local news organizations with students.

This initiative matches qualifying newsrooms with students from one of the six member universities — Kean University, Rutgers University, Montclair State University, The College of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute of Technology, or Rowan University — for an internship. The student interns are offered jobs with local newsrooms that focus on a wide range of opportunities, including social media strategy, reporting, multimedia production, community engagement and more.

This is a fantastic opportunity for news organizations to bring fresh perspectives and new skills into their newsrooms while mentoring the next generation of journalists. By participating in the program, news organizations can strengthen their reporting capacity, expand community engagement efforts, and contribute to the growth of a sustainable local news ecosystem in New Jersey.

Key Dates

Program Dates & Application Window

Program Dates

  • Program Length: 8 weeks
  • Start Date: Monday, June 15
  • End Date: Friday, August 7

Application Window

  • Open: Wednesday, March 25
  • Close: Friday, April 17
Resources

Applications for Interns & Newsrooms

Interns

We encourage students who are passionate about journalism, eager to learn, and interested in local news to apply. Ideal applicants may have experience or interest in reporting, multimedia production, social media, photography, video editing, research, or investigative journalism.

Please note: This program is only accepting students from the six Consortium partner universities: Kean University, Montclair State University, NJIT, Rutgers University, Rowan University, and The College of New Jersey.

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Newsrooms

Any and all local news organizations are encouraged to apply. Newsrooms must be committed to mentoring emerging journalists and providing a meaningful, hands-on learning experience. Ideal newsrooms have the capacity to guide interns in reporting, editing, or multimedia work and are invested in strengthening local journalism and community coverage.

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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the Consortium's statewide paid internship program.

For News Organizations

The Consortium's internship program connects New Jersey news organizations with talented student interns from its six partner universities. The program aims to provide students with hands-on experience while supporting local journalism.

All New Jersey based newsrooms can apply to host an intern, but news organizations will be given priority for intern placement that:

  • Are current Consortium grantees.
  • Have a job description prepared for an intern.
  • Are members of the NJ News Commons, the New Jersey Press Association, Local Independent Online News Publishers association and/or the Institute for Nonprofit News.
  • Have previously hosted a college intern.

Interns can support reporting, social media management, multimedia production, audience engagement, and other newsroom operations. The needs will depend entirely on your newsroom.

News organizations must submit an interest form here.

Yes. All organizations applying to host an intern will be invited to a training session on best practices for hosting interns. Organizations that are selected must complete additional training.

Intern placements will be available during the summer, fall, and spring semesters, depending on availability.

Interns will be paid $20/hr. In most cases, a small grant will be awarded to participating newsrooms to cover the cost of the internship.

No. At this time, this program is funded to cover the cost of the internship.

For Students

Students must be enrolled at one of the Consortium's six partner universities: Kean, Rutgers, Montclair State, The College of New Jersey, NJIT, or Rowan.

No prior newsroom experience is required, but a passion for journalism, media, or communications is encouraged. Skills in writing, multimedia, or social media are a plus.

Interested students must complete the internship application here, highlighting their skills, interests, and any relevant experience.

Interns will work directly with news organizations, gaining hands-on experience in reporting, content creation, newsroom operations, and more. Interns will also have access to Dr. Susan King, who will serve as a resource during your internship.

Placement decisions will be made based on availability. Applicants interested in future semesters will have their information kept on file for potential placement opportunities.

Yes! Interns will earn $20/hr. The hours will depend entirely on the needs of the newsroom and availability of the intern.

For more information, please contact info@njcivicinfo.org.

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you're a newsroom looking to host an intern or a student eager to gain hands-on experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Newsroom Application Intern Application