You may have seen last week that EHN had posted two notices requesting summer-term reporting internships.
These internships, and any other journalism internships, are highly recommended. They are:
- You will have a hands-on, intensively-mentored experience of the real world.
- You have the chance to get producer credits or bylines for your resume.
- You have the opportunity to be coached and advised by people who are experts in their field. This is a rare opportunity to be coached/advised by people who know what they are doing, unlike many college professors.
EHN internship announcements are available here and here. Spanish fluency is required for the latter. They also pay, unlike many internships.
Let me digress. With some paternalistic pride, I present a highlight reel featuring the success stories of my past interns, mostly during my time at CNN.
- Anderson Coopers Senior Executive producer
- CNN International’s head of Meteorology;
- Two CNN reporters; one for CBC
- The Editor-in-Chief, Thomson-Reuters Foundation (so what age am I when one former intern is described as a Experienced journalist?);
- Chief counsel to a major congressional commission;
- A prime-time meteorologist for the Weather Channel
- A well-respected toxicologist
As a former management weasel, I am proud of this. I’ve hosted at most two pairs of inter-breeding interns, making me an intern grandpappy five years in a row.
But enough about me.
Why internships are important
There is a strong argument that internships in environmental journalism matter more than others. Stories about the beat can be a jumble of values and issues: Money, ideology science spirituality history hegemony and more.
There are many experienced journalists who started reporting on the environmental issues in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of them are now in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Many of us have stopped reporting, moved into academia or public relations (gasp!), taken newspaper buyouts, or died.
Those who remain in the mix are key to building the next generation. Internships like EHNs can be a key part of keeping the flame burning.
A friend of mine teaches Journalism 101 at an extremely ordinary university. Her first assignment is to teach her young students research and news-gathering skills. Research Professor X (a colleague whose workplace is approximately 20 steps away) tells me his favorite flavor of ice-cream.
She said that 29 students in a class of 30 would carpal tunnel their way to Google. Prof X has very little social media presence so they will strike out. One student of 30 will usually walk the 20 steps and ask the man.
Brian Bienkowski, our senior editor, runs the show. Sorry, I don’t know his favorite ice cream flavor. He shared the good work done by three former interns: Huanjia Zhao on farmworkers and Glyphosate; Hannah Seo about methane-leaking offshore drilling sites; Krystal Vazquez regarding heat waves and the handicapped.
Do the same or better and prepare for a modestly-paying career with huge rewards.
