Indiana Reporting Intern

Civic News Company, parent company to Chalkbeat, the growing nonprofit news organization telling the story of education in America; Votebeat, the growing nonprofit news organization committed to reporting the nuanced truth about elections and voting; and Healthbeat, an emerging newsroom covering health and health policy issues at the national and local level in the United States is seeking a Chalkbeat Summer 2025 Indianapolis Reporting Intern interested in telling stories about education in America. 

You’ll spend eight paid weeks covering the effort to improve U.S. schools for all children, especially for students who have historically lacked access to a quality education. The  Indianapolis Reporting internship is funded by the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation as part of its commitment to support journalism students at Indiana colleges and universities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Join a diverse and dynamic newsroom, working alongside some of the nation’s best education journalists. 

• Write daily stories on deadline, with editing from top-notch story editors. 

• Incorporate data journalism, polls, and social engagement.

• Attend skills-building sessions on data journalism, FOIA, outlining, engagement, and more.

What background and skills do you have?

• Current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Indiana colleges or universities, as well as recent graduates, are eligible to apply. While successful candidates are typically juniors, seniors, or graduate students, we welcome applications from students at all academic levels. A journalism major is not required.

• Prior experience in journalism, whether through high school, college, or freelance work. 

• Journalism is your calling. You love tracking down information and sharing it with readers.

• You’re interested in social issues, public policy, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

• You’re eager for feedback and enjoy collaborating. 

• You’re flexible, creative, energetic, thoughtful, and tenacious. 

• You know how to report accurately, convey information clearly and concisely, and meet your deadlines.

FAQ:

Application Requirements and Deadline: 

The deadline to submit applications is Feb. 10, 2025. Finalist interviews will begin the second week of February 2025, with all applicants notified of decisions by March 3, 2025. As part of the application, candidates are required to submit three clips that demonstrate their journalistic skills and expertise.

Compensation: 

The Indiana intern will work a 40-hour week at $20 an hour. You’ll also receive a onetime $100 cell phone reimbursement and two paid vacation days. We are closed June 19 and July 4 for the holidays.

What kind of stories will I tell?

You’ll mostly work on daily news. Here are some stories from our 2024 reporting interns: 

• Haley Miller, Indiana bureau:

  • Indiana unschooling parents push for child-led learning, but some worry about lax regulation

  • Indianapolis’ first library for Black residents reopens through school librarian’s leadership

• Wellington Soares, National bureau:

  • AI can help teachers. It can also spray sensitive student data everywhere. What can schools do?

  • How trans students and families are preparing for Trump’s second term

• Azia Ross, Philadelphia bureau:

  • How a song used by Freedom Schools decades ago to educate Black children got new life in Philly

  • Philadelphia officials and advocates urge school district to do more to help homeless students

• Alex Klaus, Detroit bureau: 

  • My undiagnosed disability made it hard to succeed in school. Now I report on how others can thrive.

  • High school computer science classes might expand in Michigan. Will that address equity issue

Will the internship be onsite or remote?

The internship is a mix of one or two days a week onsite at our Indianapolis office, one or two days out reporting, and one or two days working remotely.

Do I need to have a car? What about a laptop?

•   You will need transportation to cover stories and get to the office. 

•   You will need your own laptop.

•   You will need to use your personal cell phone for work.

About Civic News Company

At Civic News Company, our mission is helping people understand how America works so they can make it work better. Committed to equal employment opportunities, Civic News Company welcomes applicants and employees from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply and contribute to our shared vision.

Civic News Company participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Civic News Company is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before Civic News Company can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Civic News Company can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.