Fall intern, NEWSWELL Chicago

Arizona State University; Oak Park (IL); On-site; USD 24,796 - 30,307; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Cell phone reimbursement

Hands-on experience

Professional development plans

LinkedIn Learning access

Job summary

NEWSWELL Chicago, in partnership with Arizona State University, invites student journalists to join a 13-week, part-time internship beginning Sept. 8. You’ll cover community news, develop beats, verify facts, edit photos, craft SEO-friendly headlines, and produce multimedia content.

You'll work with veteran editors, receive mentorship, attend workshops, and gain hands-on newsroom experience while learning AP style and WordPress; $20/hour.

Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong news writing and editing with familiarity in AP style.
• Knowledge of journalism tools such as WordPress and Photoshop.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Cover community news and events relevant to local audiences.
• Seek out story ideas and build a beat on a topic.
• Edit, crop and size photos for online publication; craft headlines.
• Produce multimedia content and engage via social platforms.
• Meet with public officials and residents to build sources.

Skills

Verbal and written communication

News writing

Editing

AP style knowledge

Education

Enrolled in journalism/communications program

Tools

WordPress

Photoshop

Job description

# **Student experiences director, NEWSWELL Intern** NEWSWELL Chicago — the new home of four iconic West Side Chicago publications — is looking for bold, curious student journalists to join our internship program.The network includes Austin Weekly News, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, Forest Park Review and Riverside–Brookfield Landmark. These four publications have deep roots and big energy, covering some of the most creative, culturally rich, future‐shaping neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side and near‐west suburbs.This paid internship puts you right in the middle of real, community‐driven reporting. You’ll get hands‐on experience with stories that matter: neighborhood issues, politics, arts and culture, sports, features and enterprise reporting. You’ll work with veteran editors who provide one‐on‐one coaching, smart edits and thoughtful mentorship. You’ll attend workshops conducted by award-winning editors.In February 2026, NEWSWELL acquired the assets of Growing Community Media, the former publisher of the four Chicago-area titles, to ensure these historic community outlets have long‐term stability and the resources they need to thrive.If you’re ready to learn, hustle, create and make a real impact in communities full of personality, complexity and possibility, this internship is for you.NEWSWELL helps newsrooms become nonprofit and for-community. It provides strategic guidance, innovative solutions and wrap-around operations so local journalists can focus on local news, and newsrooms can best serve their communities.NEWSWELL partners with Arizona State University, the nation’s most innovative 11 years in a row, to offer game-changing ideas, tools and research. NEWSWELL transforms local news to help communities and democracy thrive.*This is a 13-week, part-time internship (up to 16 hours per week) that begins Sept. 8 and ends in early December.***The pay rate for this role is $20 per hour.****Submission Requirements**Please submit a single document file (PDF) that includes the following in this order:* Your resume (one to two pages)* A cover letter that highlights your strengths and explains why you are a strong candidate for the position* Links to three to five online samples of your work, each with a one- to two-sentence description detailing what you did and how you did itPlease assemble these materials into one PDF and upload as instructed.## **What you’ll do:*** Cover community news and events that matter to local audiences* Seek out unique, audience-driven story ideas and build a beat on a relevant topic* Aggregate breaking news from multiple sources and verify accuracy* Edit, crop and size photos for online publication* Create compelling, SEO-friendly headlines* Produce and share engaging multimedia content, including video, audio and social media posts* Meet with local public officials, community leaders and residents to build sources and strengthen reader engagement* Analyze public data and contribute to data-driven reporting* Collaborate with editors and reporters to support newsroom operations and editorial planning## **What you'll need:*** Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including proper grammar, spelling and punctuation* Strong news writing and editing skills, with familiarity in Associated Press style* Understanding of basic journalism concepts, including libel law and news judgment* Ability to work independently and collaboratively* Proven professionalism, dependability and punctuality* Knowledge of journalism tools such as WordPress, Photoshop and popular social media platforms* Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle responsibility* Strong attention to detail and accuracy## **Relevant qualifications:**Candidates must meet one of the following conditions:* A degree-seeking student currently enrolled in a journalism or communications-related program at a college or university who has completed the equivalent of at least one year of college.* A degree-seeking graduate student enrolled in a journalism or communications-related program at a college or university.* A recent graduate from a journalism or communications-related program at a college or university.Preference will be given to more advanced students.**Preferred qualifications:** * Spanish fluency is a plus**Benefits:*** $30 bi-weekly cell phone reimbursement* Hands-on experience in a professional environment* Professional development plans* Opportunity to network with ASUEP leaders and other ASU students* Access to LinkedIn Learning and their 8,000+ courses* Professional skills workshops**NEWSWELL is an Equal Opportunity Employer**### About NEWSWELL**WHO WE ARE****NEWSWELL TRANSFORMS LOCAL NEWS****TO HELP COMMUNITIES AND DEMOCRACY THRIVE**NEWSWELL, a nonprofit based at Arizona State University, provides back-end operations and business strategies to help news sites become or remain sustainable. Local journalists report the news. NEWSWELL offers the support. We don’t just want to sustain local news, we want to transform it. We’ll work with researchers, faculty and students across America’s most innovative university to solve journalism’s biggest problems. We partner with the renowned Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU to provide learning opportunities for students as well as professional development and a talent pipeline for our newsrooms.**LOCAL NEWS STAYS LOCAL, WE OFFER SUPPORT AND STRATEGY**NEWSWELL is growing a network of nonprofit newsrooms dedicated to their communities, made up of local journalists and supported by local community advisory boards. We offer shared services, innovative tools and diversified revenue strategies to help local news thrive.As we assist newsrooms, we do it with the community, listening, learning and offering ways to get involved. Each newsroom is for and of the community it serves, the entire community.**WE ARE NONPROFIT AND FOR COMMUNITY**We are working with three local news sites as prototypes of our transformation process:**SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS****STOCKTONIA****TIMES OF SAN DIEGO**To learn more visit asunewswell.org.**Questions, Comments and Inquiries:**Email: [e-mail]