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 minimum 2.5 grade point average, have completed JCM 303 News Writing and Reporting with a qualifying grade and have completed 45 hours of college work before taking an internship for academic credit.
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.
Photography: For photography internship information, contact Gary Cosby Jr., the newspaper’s director of photography, at gary.cosby@tuscaloosanews.com
TO APPLY for general assignment and feature writing internships at The Tuscaloosa News, submit the following items to Mark Mayfield, JCM’s internship coordinator, via email at msmayfield1@ua.edu.
— A cover letter addressed to either 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
–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 accompanying materials to Professor Mayfield. (See email address below.)
— 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.
Applications will be reviewed and those that are eligible will be forwarded to The Tuscaloosa News.
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, JCM 382. When registering, be careful to select the proper number of hours from the credit hour box. Contact Professor Mayfield 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.