The Olympia Legislative Reporting Internship Program is a fantastic training for students who want to become political reporters.
Alumni of the program have gone on to write for daily newspapers including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Tacoma News-Tribune. One won a Chips Quinn scholarship while still at the University of Washington. Another went to Sierra Leone with the Foreign Intrigue Internship Program. One alum is now a staffer for a member of Congress.
Students who have completed most of the journalism sequence, students who report for The Daily and those with freelance or internship experience are encouraged to apply.
The students chosen for this capstone experience cover the Washington Legislature for a daily newspaper or radio network. Past employers include the Seattle Times, the Post-Intelligencer, the Oregonian, the Everett Herald, the Kitsap Sun, the Lewiston Tribune, the UW Daily and Northwest News Network, which includes the public radio stations KUOW and KPLU. Students work directly with an editor or news director and are supported by the program coordinator.
Check the Olympia Legislative Reporting Internship Frequently Asked Questions. |
Students leave the internship with experience covering a complex beat, clips and a strong sense of whether the rough-and-tumble world of political reporting is for them.
If you are interested, contact the program coordinator, Mike Henderson, at mikh@uw.edu. The e-mail should be followed with:
- a 1-2 page letter of application that outlines career goals, journalism training and experience
- a resume
- a transcript (unofficial is fine)
- a list of journalism classes taken
- names and contact information for two references
- Four clips or a radio demo tape containing stories written by the applicant
They can be left for Mike Henderson at the Department of Communication’s front office on the ground floor of the Communications Building. As clips will not be returned, photocopies are acceptable.
Finalists may be asked to complete an interview or writing test.
Applicants must commit to work full time in Olympia for winter quarter. Interns will live in or near Olympia. The stipend is $250 per week. Scholarship money to partially cover housing may be available if needed.
Students will have access to laptops during their internships paid for by the student technology fee.
Interns can earn up to 12 credits.
Deadline:Â Not yet determined for 2011.
