Below is a checklist of items students must submit in order to apply for a Journalism & Creative Media Department coordinated internship at The Tuscaloosa News. Students should have a 2.5 grade point average overall, have completed JCM303 News Writing and Reporting with a qualifying grade and have completed 45 hours of college work before taking an internship for academic credit. A student should be a major or minor in the Department of Journalism & Creative Media.
Internship Opportunities Include:
General Assignment Reporting
Interns will write general assignment stories and will cover events throughout the community. Interns will also have an opportunity to suggest story ideas.
Feature Writing
Interns will write feature stories about the community, profile people in the community and will be actively involved in developing and suggesting story ideas.
Sports Reporting
For sports internship information click here
Multi-media Copy Editing / Online Digital Content
Interns will edit print stories, compile and post multimedia news and feature content, create online galleries and upload material to the design production system. Students may also assist in online design.
Social Media
Interns will promote online awareness through a variety of social media applications. Updating information channels throughout the day and creating community awareness of information in a coordinated manner will be paramount, as will developing web and other visual content, as appropriate.
Photographer and/or videographer
Interns will work with staff photographers learning the day to day aspects of community visual journalism. Students will be able to shoot photographs of community events, prep sports and standalone feature photos for use in print and on the website. Students may produce video for use on websites and may also be asked to assist on larger scale shoots such as fashion and architectural shoots for Tuscaloosa Magazine.
Entertainment Reporting
Interns will write stories and reviews for entertainment events, interview and profile performance artists and cover other components of the Tuscaloosa area’s lively entertainment and food scene.
Tuscaloosa Magazine
Interns will assist in the planning and organizing the production of the periodic full-color magazine. Duties may include a variety of functions depending on the intern’s skills and the production cycle of the magazine at the time of the internship. This is generally limited to returning interns.
TO APPLY, submit the following items to Mark Mayfield, Internship Coordinator, VIA EMAIL at msmayfield1@ua.edu.
—A letter of application addressed to Mr. Ken Roberts, City Editor, The Tuscaloosa News, 315 28th Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. The letter should outline:
–your reasons for wanting the internship
–the number of hours per week you can work
–the area(s) in which you desire to work (more areas improve chances but be willing to accept any for which you apply)
–your experience and qualifications
Your letter should be formatted as a professional business letter.
Do not send the letter to the News; submit it and your other material to Prof. Mayfield via email.
— Your current resume
— Several (3-5) examples of your journalistic work. If you have professional or student publication clips, submit these. If you do not have published work, submit outstanding examples from class assignments.
All the above items should be submitted as soon as possible. We will check the applications and forward those that are eligible to The Tuscaloosa News for review.
IF ACCEPTED, you will be expected to meet with your supervisor to discuss your schedule and job assignments and submit the following items to the Journalism & Creative Media Department.
–Completed Student Information Form
–Completed Supervisor Information Form
After these items are received, you will be given an override to register for the internship class, JCM382. When registering, be careful to select the proper number of hours from the credit hour box. Contact Mark Mayfield, Internship Coordinator, for more information: msmayfield1@ua.edu.
General Information
The Tuscaloosa News offers opportunities for University of Alabama students to work in the newsroom on supervised projects that will better prepare them for jobs in journalism upon their graduation. These projects will also benefit the operations of The Tuscaloosa News.
Student interns must be enrolled in the internship course to participate in an internship at The Tuscaloosa News. UA Journalism & Creative Media students must have completed JCM303-News Writing and Reporting with a qualifying grade, have maintained a 2.5 grade point average and have successfully completed at least 45 credit hours. The Tuscaloosa News will not assume workplace liability for students or provide any employer benefits. Students who are working outside the newspaper office must provide their own transportation and provide a photocopy of a valid driver’s license and proof of automobile insurance. Interns must sign a standard intern contract that sets out the expectations conditions of the internship. Students successfully completing the internship will receive a stipend of $250 paid through their university account to assist in internship expenses such as gas, etc. Credit hours to be received should be determined in consultation with the internship coordinator in the UA Department of Journalism & Creative Media. Students are responsible for tuition costs for credit received.
The Tuscaloosa News agrees to provide a focused experience for students who will work with a supervisor on staff. The supervisor will evaluate the student’s work on a continuing basis through the semester, and provide written assessments at the midpoint of the term and at the end.
Students must submit their internship application, a letter of application indicating internship areas of interest, copies of past journalistic work and any other required materials through the UA Department of Journalism & Creative Media Department. The department will screen applications to verify academic eligibility and forward them to The Tuscaloosa News for review. Applicants may be asked to interview with representatives from the newspaper.
Important Note: Students generally work an average of 12 to 20 hours per week when interning during spring and fall semesters and 15 to 30 hours (or more) during the 10-week summer term. Working fewer hours may not provide for enough supervisor contact and work time to provide the continuity necessary for a beneficial learning experience for the student and for The Tuscaloosa News. Students will work a schedule at The Tuscaloosa News that will be flexible and developed around the student’s class schedule.