How To Become A Journalist Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a journalist internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Aaron Moore Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a journalist internship. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.77 an hour? That's $55,688 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a journalist internship?

Aaron Moore Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Journalism; Director of Internship Program, Rider University

The journalism field has changed dramatically - and not really for the best. With that said, those beginning in the area need to have a strong social media presence. They need to be able to tell editors they can attract eyeballs to any of their work or content. Before beginners start looking for a journalism job, cultivate a social media presence.

ScoreJournalist InternshipUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $55,688

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.70%

Black or African American 6.40%

Hispanic or Latino 12.68%

Unknown 4.39%

White 66.53%

Gender

female 62.27%

male 37.73%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a journalist internship

Explore journalist internship education requirements

Most common journalist internship degrees

Bachelor's

76.8 %

Master's

10.0 %

Associate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific journalist internship skills

Skills	Percentages
News Stories	9.91%
News Articles	9.83%
Press Releases	7.02%
Photography	6.59%
SEO	5.63%

Complete relevant journalist internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New journalist interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a journalist internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real journalist internship resumes.

Research journalist internship duties and responsibilities

Manage studio operations, ensuring that shows run efficiently by floor directing, prompting and providing scripts.
Brainstorm and research topics on which to publish stories.
Practice with credit photographer, learned different aspects of photography in the field.
Cover national breaking news and contribute variety of stories feature on ABC and ESPN.

Prepare your journalist internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your journalist internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a journalist internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable journalist internship resume templates

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