Intern at Reason This Coming Summer!
The deadline for Reason magazine's paid ten-week summer internship, which begins in June, is coming up (March 26).
Given that the deadline is a little over two weeks away I thought it would be worth reiterating the advice my former colleague Mike Riggs gave to potential intern applicants almost a year ago:
- Follow instructions
- Write the hell out of your cover letter
- Show some familiarity with the publication
- Tell me what you can do for us, because we know what we can do for you
- Be Patient
I cannot stress enough the importance of taking these tips seriously. As I mentioned back in November, talented applicants have ruined their chances of being considered for an internship at Reason by failing to do something as simple as following instructions.
Something I have been noticing since I have started looking over intern applications is the tendency for applicants to write almost identical cover letters to dozens of publications. These cover letters express an interest in a career in journalism but oftentimes do not mention why they want to be at Reason in particular. An application with a cover letter that mentions issues Reason is known for covering or the writings of a particular editor is going to grab my attention much more than an application with a cover letter that mentions Reason once in the introductory sentence.
Interns here get to write for Reason.com and Reason magazine about topics that interest them. Our current intern, Alyssa Hertig, has been writing about technology, Bitcoin, and civil liberties. Zenon Evans, who did such a fine job as an intern we hired him, interviewed Russian libertarian activist Vera Kichanova during his internship. Guy Bentley, who now works at the London-based City A.M. (which you should all be reading), wrote about foreign affairs while he was an intern here.
As well as writing, Reason interns provide admin assistance to the office, assist staff with research, and transcribe interviews. The internship is based in Washington, D.C., and interns are encouraged to attend events in the city that interest them.
If you want to pursue a paid journalism internship in Washington, D.C. that will allow you to write about topics that interest you please send in an application. But make sure to take the tips above seriously.
If you have a question send me an email: mfeeney@reason.com.