10 Journalism Internships for High School Students
If you are a high school student interested in pursuing journalism, adding an internship to your portfolio would be valuable for college applications. It is recommended since you will be able to apply concepts learned in high school in real-life situations, a skill admissions officers value in applicants.
We have curated a helpful list of programs and internships you can consider pursuing! From print media to broadcasting and even public relations - these programs delve into a variety of topics.
While some of these follow a more traditional format of an internship, others come in the form of conferences or workshops. However, each program on this list offers you an opportunity to work alongside journalists to gain real-world experience.
Why do a summer internship?
Internships offer many benefits; however, it primarily gives you insight into what your future career could look like and whether your field of interest suits you.
Moreover, internships allow you to gain real-world experience in the career of your choice, which supplements your classroom knowledge! You can also learn from the expertise of industry professionals and gain insights into your potential career paths.
Through interacting with other peers and mentors, you can network with experts in your industry, allowing you to make connections for your future job prospects.
Additionally, doing an internship while in high school showcases your dedication and readiness in a particular field of study/work, and mentioning this on your resume can benefit your chances of landing an acceptance at your dream school!
Lastly, internships are beneficial for developing transferable and soft skills, such as collaboration, time management, and communication skills. These skills will be applicable throughout your life, thus making each internship a meaningful experience.
If you are interested in political journalism and have decided on it for your major, this year-long course at Princeton is a great option. The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) offers high achievers from low-income families a free residential journalism and college preparation program where they will study politics and current affairs, learn from Princeton professors and journalists, and collaborate with a college advisor.
The program includes a variety of online and in-person possibilities, such as weekly lectures and workshops led by program graduates and journalists from publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, Politico, and CNN, among others.
Fair warning - this is a highly selective program, including a three-round application process and a final cohort of up to 40 students.
Cost: No cost
Location: Hybrid (Virtual + Princeton Campus)
Application Deadline (Summer 2023): April 23, 2023
Program Dates (Summer 2023): July 28 - August 7
Selection Rate: Highly Selective
Eligibility: High-achieving juniors from high school and low-income backgrounds.
The L.A. Times High School Insider youth journalism internship is an opportunity to cover breaking news, experience multimedia storytelling and learn how to create engaging stories. The program aims to teach students core journalism fundamentals and multimedia skills while simultaneously giving them exposure to a professional work environment and an opportunity to be mentored by leading journalists.
Throughout the 6-week internship, interns will attempt to form stories alongside their mentors, supported by L.A. Times’ extensive training and workshops.
Interns have previously covered a broad range of topics, including:
Current Events (Especially during 2021 and 2022 cohorts, HSI extensively covered the impact of the pandemic and its current state)
Education
Arts and Entertainment etc.
Cost: No cost; stipend provided ($16/hour)
Location: Los Angeles (for Los Angeles residents)/ Remote
Application Deadline (Summer 2023): April 23, 2023
Program Dates: June 26 - August 4
Selection Rate: Highly Selective
Eligibility:
Open to high school students across all grades.
Must be eligible to work in the United States.
The NSLC offers students an opportunity to interact with internationally recognized media outlets and access professional studio equipment in order to build upon fundamental journalism skills and learn the importance of accurate writing and reporting through a simulation of a fast-paced newsroom.
NLSC offers two individualized tracks:
Newswriting & Investigative Reporting - Students explore the news landscape and understand the history behind investigating influential people and organizations through this track.
Broadcast Journalism - This track delves into the cornerstones of a great news story. Students explore elements of a news show, learn how to capture broadcast-quality film and audio, and how to utilize images to deliver messages.
The NSLC has brought esteemed guest speakers, including multiple Pulitzer Prize winners and current reporters and writers at reputable news outlets such as Washington Post and ESPN. A list of previous guest speakers can be found here!
Cost: $3,895 (Tuition)
Location: American University, Washington D.C.
Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions
Program Dates (2023):
June 17th - June 25th
June 29th - July 7th
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to all high school students.
Possess strong academic records and has demonstrated leadership potential.
Another non-traditional internship, the AAJA JCamp, is a 6-day training camp that brings culturally diverse students together to learn under veteran journalists and leading media executives. Students receive hands-on training from mentors and produce multimedia pieces for the program's news site - JCamp.
The curriculum consists of interactive workshops, hands-on training, and field trips, and through the program, students experiment with broadcasting, newspaper, magazine, online media, and photojournalism.
The program focuses on ingraining the following core principles:
The value of cross-cultural communication skills.
The fundamentals of leadership.
The importance of diversity in the newsroom and media coverage.
Strong ethics within journalism practice.
The value of networking and career mapping.
Cost: No cost
Location: Washington, D.C.
Application Deadline (Summer 2023): March 17, 2023
Program Dates (Summer 2023): July 15 - July 21
Selection Rate: Highly Selective
Eligibility:
High-school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.
Note. Priority is given to sophomores and juniors. However, exceptional freshmen are encouraged to apply.
The Dow Jones News Fund supports summer workshops to provide resources for high school students who face barriers in pursuing a career in journalism. The Dow Jones News Fund supports 8 programs across the country - each program delving into a different experience with journalism.
For instance, the Howard University Multicultural Media Academy in Washington, D.C., delves into the power of multimedia journalism to cover health and wellness in unrepresented communities through writing news stories and developing videos.
On the other hand, Detroit Forward's Journalism Camp allows students to report and write a report on a topic of their choice. This is supplemented by support from a personal Editing Coach and classes with a Writing Room coach. These stories will eventually be published on The Detroit Writing Room's website upon completion of the program.
Cost: Varies from program to program.
Location: Conducted in 8 locations. Get the complete list here!
Application Deadline (Summer 2023): Ranges from February 28, 2023, to June 10, 2023.
Program Dates (Summer 2023): Varies from program to program.
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to any high-school student.
Note. Some internships have specific requirements (e.g., the Andy Harvey Indigenous Youth Media Workshop is only open to Native American students across Arizona.) Look into each program for its specified requirements.
Open to high school and college students, EnergyMag offers virtual research internships to students looking to gain experience working in the renewable energy sector. Students gain research and analytical skills, alongside work experience, by researching specific companies, technologies, and markets. Internships can be half-time (2-8 weeks, 20 hours per week) or quarter-time (1-9 months, 8 hours per week)
Cost: No cost
Location: Remote
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
Program Dates:
Half-Time Internships - Summer months (2-8 weeks)
Quarter-Time Internships - Year-round (1-9 months)
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Participate in one honors science or English class (exceptions are available for certain instances).
Have a minimum GPA of 3.25.
The Medill Cherub Program by Northwestern University is a 5-week summer journalism program for up to 84 rising high school seniors. You learn from accomplished journalists and university professors and gain practical experience in journalism. The program culminates with you creating a body of work on a topic of your choice!
You will be assigned a specific instructor who will be your mentor throughout the program. You also gain the opportunity to experience various media reporting types, from print to digital and broadcast. Moreover, you experiment with writing, reporting, editing, and creating digital media.
With access to high-quality equipment, The Medill Cherub provides you with the chance to independently create a quality body of work, which can add significant value if showcased in your application!
Cost: $5,000
Location: Northwestern University Campus, Evanston, IL
Application Deadline (Summer 2023): March 13, 2023
Program Dates (Summer 2023): June 25 - July 21
Selection Rate: Quite Selective
Eligibility:
Open to rising high-school seniors.
Have a solid academic standing and a strong background in journalism.
City Limit is New York City's oldest nonprofit investigative news agency that attempts to empower the youth and train students in public service journalism. Interns are trained in the essential tenets of reporting and news writing. This includes research, interviewing, exploring investigative techniques, media ethics, photojournalism, and more.
Through this program, you can work closely with City Limits in order to report locally
focused news stories about important New York City issues, particularly from underrepresented communities.
A unique feature of CLARIFY is its two cohorts - an English-Language Cohort and a bilingual cohort for Spanish and English speakers. If Spanish is your native language, City Limits encourages you to explore the bilingual cohort to use your abilities to amplify the voices of the unheard!
Some topics previously covered by CLARIFY students include the New York housing crisis, interviews on the freedom of the press, and news on strikes. Read the previous articles of CLARIFY alums here!
Cost: No cost + stipend provided ($1,000)
Location: CUNY Brooklyn or CUNY York’s College Campuses
Application Deadline(Summer 2023): June 15, 2023
Program Dates (Summer 2023): July 17 - July 27
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to rising juniors or seniors (seniors who have graduated as of June 2023 are also welcome to apply).
Students must reside in New York.
The Summer Media Academy program at the University of Georgia allows you to cover the following subject areas - Advertising and public relations, broadcast journalism, news website journalism, and entertainment and media studies through their weeklong camp. The program gives each student an opportunity to work on specialized projects in an area of research of their choice, gaining hands-on experience with different aspects of a journalism career, e.g., research, campaigning, or exploring digital media.
Simultaneously, instructors lead activities to explore the various aspects of journalism and allow students to create products based on real-world situations. For each program, students have the opportunity to do the following activities:
Advertising and Public Relations - Design an integrated campaign for a nonprofit organization.
Broadcast Journalism - Produce a broadcast show along with the instructors.
Multimedia Journalism - Create a news website and utilize digital tools to explore visual journalism and social media storytelling.
You will also have the opportunity to interact with guest speakers who will give an insight into their experience in journalism to provide you with exposure to possible career choices in journalism.
You can read about the previous cohorts' work (for instance, the Greatest Gazette by the 2019 cohort) here!
Cost:
Day Scholar - $440
Residential - $1090
Location: Grady College of Journalism, University of Georgia Campus, Athens, GA
Application Deadline(Summer 2023) : Rolling Basis (Opens Jan 11th, 2023)
Note. Financial need applications close on March 15, 2023.
Program Dates (Summer 2023):
Advertising and Public Relations - June 11th - June 17th (Overnight)
Broadcast Journalism - June 11th - June 17th (Overnight)
Entertainment and Media Studies - June 18th - June 24th (Overnight)
Multimedia Journalism - June 18th - June 24th (Overnight)
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to students between the ages of 13-17 (at the start of the program)
10. Ladder Internships - Journalism Track
Ladder Internship is a selective program for high school students to work with startups, including media start-ups, in a real world internship..
Ladder Startups work in fields including media and journalism, technology, machine learning and A.I., finance, environmental science and sustainability, business and marketing, healthcare and medicine, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form.
As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship - the Ladder Coach serves as a second mentor and a sounding board, guiding students through the internship and helping them navigate the startup environment.
Note that as a Ladder Intern, you will engage in a coaching+work-based model - a component that sets it apart from most internships in this list. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Cost: $1490 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Applications for cohorts in June, September, December, and February (4 cohorts throughout the year) April 16 and May 14
Program Dates: 8 weeks, June to August
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Bonus - Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you are interested in doing university-level research in engineering, then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Image Source: AAJA JCamp logo