Editorial Intern

Posted On: June 3, 2011

Journalism Internship

Media Organization: About.com

Company Description

The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2010 revenues of $2.4 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

Job Description

Position: Editorial Intern

Responsibilities:
About.com is looking for an editorial intern for the summer of 2011. The intern will work with channel editors across About.com to learn the basics of web publishing by getting hands-on experience. Specific tasks include working with editors on the following:

- Hone your editorial judgment by selecting content to showcase and writing compelling headlines and blurbs for content. Learn how to find and choose stock photography using resources such as Getty Images.

- Learn how to spot qualified writing candidates and weed out low-quality ones.

- Practice the basics of blogging by writing posts for selected sites on a variety of topics.

- Learn how to build editorial packages by selecting content and writing copy for editorial specials and "super sites" covering a variety of topics, including health and parenting. This will include writing and making editorial decisions.
- Gain an understanding of the competitive landscape in online publishing. Use your understanding of the web and social media to help editors do competitive analysis and identify opportunities to increase inbound links.

- Gain exposure to social media by helping monitor and moderate topic-focused Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

- Understand the role of metrics in web publishing. Get experience analyzing site metrics to make decisions about future coverage. This will include using analytical thinking skills to make decisions.

- Get experience using a proprietary content management system to update and edit existing content and do other basics of site maintenance.

- Summer interns are eligible to attend intern training and networking events organized by The New York Times Co.

Qualifications:
Interns must be eligible to receive academic credit and should be available at least 15 hours a week.
Strong proofreading and writing skills required
Candidate must be familiar with website navigation.
Experience writing for the web (beyond personal sites or blogs) is preferred
Experience with a content management system for web publishing is preferred
Must be able to work independently and prioritize multiple tasks efficiently
Should be open to learning new technologies and comfortable working with a variety of topics, including health.

To Apply

send resume to steven.ottenstein@nytimes.com