Breaking News Intern

Houston Chronicle; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 18,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

The Houston Chronicle is seeking a Reporting Intern for the Summer 2027 internship program. This role offers hands-on experience reporting and writing timely stories about events and trends shaping Houston and Texas.

Responsibilities include reporting on deadline, pitching ideas, and collaborating with editors, photographers and audience journalists to deliver accurate coverage. Prior interns contributed to major coverage and many have advanced to full-time roles.

Qualifications

• Experience at a college news publication or professional news organization.
• Personal laptop and reliable Wi-Fi or hotspot access.

Responsibilities

• Report and write timely, accurate stories.
• Collaborate with editors, photographers and the audience team to deliver coverage that meets high standards for accuracy, speed and engagement.
• Pitch timely news stories, monitor local and national sources, social media and Google Trends to identify topics.
• Conduct interviews with officials, witnesses and community members on deadline.
• Verify information from social media, public records and other sources before publication.
• Contribute to live blogs and enterprise follow-ups as news develops.

Skills

Laptop

Wi‑Fi access

Education

Experience at college news publication or professional news organization

Job description

The Houston Chronicle is looking for an adaptable and detail-oriented student journalist to join its Breaking News team for the summer 2027 internship program.

Reporting Intern

Reporting interns will have the chance to work in one of America’s most exciting news markets, reporting and writing timely stories about the events, issues and trends shaping Houston and Texas. They will gain hands‑on experience covering stories on deadline, developing follow‑ups, pitching story ideas and collaborating with editors, photographers and audience journalists to deliver accurate, engaging coverage.

Past summer interns were essential contributors to our coverage, including reporting on topics like extreme weather events, the FIFA World Cup, social justice protests and political rallies. Our paid internship opportunities have also propelled several former interns to full-time roles on the Chronicle’s staff.

Responsibilities

• Report and write timely, accurate stories
• Collaborate with editors, photographers and the audience team to deliver coverage that meets high standards for accuracy, speed and engagement
• Pitch timely news stories, keeping a close eye on local and national news sources, social media and Google Trends to identify topics
• Conduct interviews with officials, witnesses and community members on deadline
• Verify information from social media, public records and other sources before publication
• Contribute to live blogs and enterprise follow-ups as news develops

Requirements

• Juniors, seniors or recent graduates with prior experience at a college news publication or professional news organization.
• A personal laptop and Wi-Fi or hotspot access.
• Must obtain housing in Houston and work in the Chronicle’s office at least 3 days a week.

Internship Details

• 40 hours a week for 10 weeks, from early June and to early August. Interns will be paid $15 an hour.
• Interns will work Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend coverage based on news demands.
• The recruiting committee will assign all interns a mentor from the newsroom based on their interests.

by October 25, 2026.

About the Houston Chronicle

The Houston Chronicle, recognized for its Pulitzer Prize‑winning journalism, serves its 2.3 million residents with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston’s largest websites — HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com , along with our magazine, television and newspaper brands. Our mission is to spark conversations that inspire action to create a better Houston. All our content and the innovative business solutions we provide invite Houstonians to join conversations about a community we’ve been committed to covering and helping prosper for more than 120 years. The community we all call home.

About Hearst Newspapers

With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express‑News and Albany Times Union, several top digital‑only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.

At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories – growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms – to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.