Become an intern at Public Square Amplified

Public Square Amplified (PSA) is a grassroots local nonprofit newsroom founded by a team of Black women with over 40 years of combined experience in the nonprofit, journalism, and community organizing sectors headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. PSA positions journalism as a civic tool and creates a pipeline for a new cadre of local journalists of color representing their geographic and ethnic community. Our reporting centers on democracy, social and economic justice, racial equality, and the immigrant experience. PSA recognizes that people of color must own the storytelling apparatus and shape our narratives if the fourth estate must exist as a call for democracy for all. Internship Overview The internship program is an opportunity for college juniors, seniors, and graduate students to join our growing local nonprofit newsroom, working with a team of newsmakers and journalists covering the communities and stories surrounding its headquarters, Newark, New Jersey and across the state. Our reporting is spearheaded by local reporters equipped with media and newsgathering training and is furthered by forums that engage community members and storytelling. The internship program offers hands-on work experience, one-on-one mentorship, career coaching, and training opportunities. Internships are conducted in a hybrid setting with in-field reporting, partnership meetings, and cross-functional training. Multimedia reporting Interns are encouraged to pursue stories of interest, pitch their own stories, participate in editorial meetings, and collaborate on multimedia enterprise, short, and longform reporting projects. PSA is a newsroom and exploratory community media project and, as such, welcomes the enthusiasm and diverse perspectives and skillsets of our community and intern reporters. We seek candidates who want opportunities to expand writing, newsgathering, and media production skills via the production of news articles, investigative and feature reports, photo projects, video stories, narrative podcast episodes, and more. Values • Transparency • Honesty • Hard work • Commitment • Sense of humor • Sense of adventure Educational Opportunities • Receive technical and journalistic training specific to field production, interview, reporting, and news writing • Learn to write and produce multimedia stories on deadline • Assist the publisher, managing editor, social engagement editor, and other reporters in developing and curating stories that respect and reflect diverse communities • Work in a professional, community-oriented environment Expectations • Interest in news • Zeal for exploration and learning • Curious mind • Appreciation of writing • Familiarity and understanding of the political, social, and economic milieu of New Jersey • Experience with social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tik Tok • Basic journalism skills demonstrated through previous work experience and/or related coursework • Knowledge of media/press history and its contemporary frameworks • Commitment to restorative and reparative journalism • Build community collaborations with other newsrooms, grassroots and civic organizations, and academia Responsibilities • Multimedia Reporting Interns will participate in editorial meetings and pitch story and content ideas • Develop sources as part of a reporting beat (e.g., Legislature, Education, Arts and Culture, Policing, Racial Disparities, Immigrations, and Environmental Justice) • Produce PSA content in multiple formats, including text, photojournalism, infographics, slideshows, videos, and podcasts. We encourage all interested to apply, even if you don’t have the above experiences or skillsets. PSA is most passionate about working with writers and producers who reflect Newark’s communities, support local news, have an interest and journalism and media careers, and who seek news and multimedia training, as well as publication opportunities.