Summer intern, NEWSWELL Times of San Diego

Newswell•San Diego, CA

25d•Onsite

About The Position

The Times of San Diego, an award-winning digital nonprofit based in one of the country’s major metropolitan cities, is seeking interns eager to grow and develop this summer, based out of its downtown San Diego newsroom. This paid internship – which is in-person in San Diego – will offer you a range of journalism opportunities – to pitch and cover stories, to discover and explore unique angles of assignments, to peruse public records and deepen your interviewing, research and writing skills. 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. Depending upon your current experience level and needs, you might also strengthen your website-production capabilities, expand your social media skills or build on photo and video storytelling. Initiative, innovation and critical thinking are key. Times editors especially appreciate interns who are open to versatile experiences and to exploring a variety of story topics, types and approaches. 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. This internship puts you right in the middle of real, community‑driven journalism. You’ll get hands-on experience with stories that matter: neighborhood issues, politics, arts and culture, sports, features and enterprise reporting. In addition to Times, you may work with the San Diego Newsgroup of print/online neighborhood papers. 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. Times, a more than decade-old online publication, covers politics and crime, business and sports, education and arts, military and science, and health and life. It devotes coverage to the breadth of the region’s diverse communities. It partners with other news sources to deliver in-depth news on topics that matter to San Diego. Times joined NEWSWELL in 2024, with the print/online neighborhood papers joining in 2025. 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 12-week, 40-hour per week internship that begins in May and ends in August. The pay rate for this role is $20 per hour.

Requirements

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
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 at least one year of study A degree-seeking graduate student enrolled in a journalism or communications-related program A recent graduate from a journalism or communications-related program at a college or university
Preference will be given to more advanced students.

Nice To Haves

Spanish fluency is a plus

Responsibilities

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