Paid internship: Nike field reporter

This sounds awesome. Must be a female, aged 18-24, to apply...

"If you think you have what it takes to volley one-liners with Maria Sharapova, kick it with Hope Solo, and Q&A over cappuccinos with Serena Williams, this is your dream job.

Right now, we’re holding open casting calls for a Nike Field Reporter.

You’ll jet set across the country to interview the most talented female professional athletes. Get the dish on what they’re into at the moment, ask the questions no one else will dare to ask, and get the last word with the biggest girls in the game.

All your on-the-job expenses (including travel and gear) will be paid for by us.

And best of all, you’ll get to report back all of your findings on the Nike Field Reporter blog using written entries, videos and photos."

The deadline to apply is August 8. For more info, click here.

Fall internship at ESPN.com

ESPN.com seeks college students to intern on its copy desk in its Bristol, Conn. headquarters for 10 weeks starting in September.

-Mark Grabowski

Investigative journalism job for recent grad

Rotten Dog Productions has a paid internship position available for a recent graduate looking to do independent, investigative journalism.

"You should be comfortable researching a subject in depth and covering environmental, science and political stories," according to the ad. "You'll be responsible for finding stories along the Atlantic Coast from New York through Newfoundland. You should be able to find a human interest angle to the stories illustrating scientific or political event with a story about its impact on people. Your stories will be published online and combined with video and photos for documentary production."

To apply, e-mail your resume and a few work samples to Bill@Southworth.TV.

Paid internships at Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle is looking for local college students to report and take photos for The Loop, a new, innovative, interactive Web site created entirely for and by college students.

The internship involves working 10 to 16 hours per week and pays $10 per hour. Students will spend the majority of their time at the Democrat & Chronicle, though some reporting and fieldwork will be required.

-Mark Grabowski

Mini-internship opportunity for Fall '08

The Society for Professional Journalists is looking for 12 interns to cover its upcoming annual convention in Atlanta. The interns -- reporters, photographers and designers -- will "staff The Working Press, a daily tabloid newspaper that covers the SPJ National Convention." Professional journalists oversee the publication and provide editing and feedback. It's a great way for college students to quickly get lots of work samples.

This year's convention is set for Sept. 4-6 in Atlanta. Interns will need to arrive in Atlanta by noon Wednesday, Sept. 3, and the internship ends Sunday, Sept. 7. Accommodations, mentoring and other perks will be provided. The application deadline is April 19.


-Mark Grabowski

Internship/job-finding tips

Graduation and summer are both fast approaching. If you're in college and reading this blog, that means you're likely either looking for an internship or first job.

The Society for News Design offers some straight-talkin' tips. They're obviously aimed at designers, but it's nonetheless relevant for all journalists. There's also a handy worksheet to keep track of where you applied.

Public relations internships

I’ve created a public relations internship guide for college students.

http://PRinternship.org

It’s very much a work-in-progress (feel free to send feedback), and nowhere near matching my journalism internship website in its depth and breadth. But it’s a start, and there doesn’t seem to be too many good PR internship websites.

It may seem odd to be talking about PR on a journalism blog. After all, many journalists view PR as “the Dark Side.” It’s all about “spin” and misinforming the public, they believe.

Guess what? Many PR people are equally wary of journalists, believing that the media is out to get them. They frequently accuse reporters of “spinning” stories.

As someone who’s worked on both sides of the fence, I know that both viewpoints are silly. When practiced ethically – as the vast majority of professionals in both journalism and PR do – both fields have similar goals. Basically, inform the public and tell the truth. Unfortunately, a few bad apples have given both fields an inaccurate reputation.

The reality is that there’s a lot of crossover between journalism and PR.

At many media outlets, for better or worse, we’re seeing a blurring of the lines between journalism and public relations. Many journalists eventually switch careers to public relations. At the university where I teach, public relations and journalism are combined into one major. I’m not saying that’s the way it should be. I’m just saying, that’s the way it is these days.

So, that’s why I’m writing about public relations on a journalism website. Because I know many of my site’s visitors may also be interested in careers in public relations.

-Mark Grabowski

We're #1!

The Society for News Design recently ranked it as the #1 job resource for soon-to-be journalism graduates.

In second place was the long-venerated JournalismJobs.com.

Sweet.