Company Description
The SPLC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as a source of legal assistance for the student media and the public, providing information on subjects ranging from libel and invasion of privacy to freedom-of-information law and censorship.
Location
Washington, DC
Paid or for Credit Only
Paid
Deadline
Jan. 31
Job Description
The Student Press Law Center has internship positions available in its Washington, D.C., office each school semester and during the summer, including traditional news reporting positions and a position focusing on social media and organization-building. We also offer a legal internship for qualified students in law school. The internships are open to undergraduate and graduate students as well as recent college graduates with experience in news writing and an interest in media law.
Journalism interns research, write and help edit the Report, the Center’s magazine that chronicles student press law cases and controversies from around the country. Interns also write breaking news and analysis pieces for the Center’s website. Those with an interest in video and multimedia are especially encouraged to apply, and help us create the images that will bring students’ censorship experiences to life.
Outreach-Social Media interns help build and manage the SPLC’s public “face” through Twitter and social media, getting news about the latest legal developments — and about the SPLC’s work on behalf of student journalists — in front of a larger audience to build awareness of the legal challenges students face. Previous outreach interns have helped lay the groundwork for the SPLC’s new campaign Active Voice to provide support for female high school journalists who are disproportionately censored.
Additionally, interns join in issue-oriented seminars organized by the SPLC and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In recent semesters, we’ve toured The New York Times Washington bureau, heard arguments at the Supreme Court, and met with The Washington Post’s legal staff.
We offer at least two full-time internships per semester, paying a living expense stipend of $4,000 (summer, for 10 weeks) and $5,600 (spring and fall semesters, for 15 weeks). Many interns arrange to receive academic credit from their college or university with the support of the SPLC. During the fall and spring terms, we also offer one unpaid, part-time position for a D.C.-area college student with flexible hours that can be structured for academic credit.
How to Apply
To apply for an internship, send a cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for working with the Student Press Law Center along with a resume, samples of your news writing and the names and telephone numbers or email addresses of two professional or academic references. If you are applying for an outreach-social media internship, please include relevant work samples.
Submit your application for a summer internship by January 31 to:
pubfellow@splc.org