The deadline to apply for the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting’s 2025 Summer Investigative Reporting Internship Program is quickly approaching.
While we hope you’ve submitted your application already, we understand that some students and recent graduates will need an extra push and some advice so you feel as confident in your application as possible.
The Program
Now in its fourth year, the summer internship program is the largest it’s ever been, with 17 partner publications from all over the nation where our members will get training and mentorship in investigative journalism for the summer.
In past years, our interns have produced or contributed to investigations like:
- Death on the Night Shift at Frozen Pizza Factories in Chicago by Churchill Ndonwie, 2024 intern at The New York Times
- ‘An excuse to racially profile’: How Florida trains police on bias by Albert Serna Jr., 2022 intern at the Tampa Bay Times
- Fake COVID-19 vaccination cards worry college officials by Roselyn Romero, 2021 intern at the Associated Press
- When Home Is a Toxic Hot Spot by Alyssa Johnson with Greg Morton contributing, 2021 interns at ProPublica
- Despite men’s rights claims, colleges expel few sexual misconduct offenders while survivors suffer 2021 USA Today interns Zshekinah Collier and Tyreye Morris contributed to this piece
Advice to Enhance Your Application
In December, Ida B. Wells Society trainer and journalist Marissa Evans presented a virtual training with tips and tricks on how to prepare and present yourself as the best possible candidate for a journalism internship.
Here is some advice from that presentation:
Consider what special skills you can bring to a newsroom
Think broadly about your skills and characteristics and how you can market them in your application. Consider: fact checking, lived experiences, explaining complex topics, attention to detail, writing skills, adaptability, data usage and more.
In your cover letter and application materials, try to find ways to incorporate your expertise and skill level in these things.
Create a roadmap for success
Don’t let the descriptions of positions intimidate you or keep you from submitting an application. Marginalized people tend to self-select out of the application process if they don’t feel they meet 100% of the qualifications listed. However, no candidate is ever expected to meet 100% of the qualifications on a job or internship listing.
Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s; own your experiences and your path as you decide what you want your career to look like.
Have an idea of what you want from this experience – but be flexible
Ask yourself: Why do I want this internship and what do I hope to gain from it? There are no right or wrong responses, but the answers can be a guiding light for you through the application process and through the internship. For example: If your goal is to gain exposure and some experience in requesting and organizing public records, you can mention that in your application materials and when you begin your program, you can mention that to your supervisor and position yourself to shadow the newsroom’s records request maven.
The most important advice of all for applying to the 2025 internship program is to put your best foot forward and apply. There’s no benefit in removing yourself from consideration because you’re intimidated or feel underqualified.. Remember you are your biggest competition. Be better than you were before through applying to experiences such as this internship to further your career and goals.
Ready to apply? Applications are open through Sunday, Jan. 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
