The San Francisco Standard seeks an intern to join our Express Desk. As an intern, you will write and report breaking news stories from San Francisco and the Bay Area for readers here and around the globe. The successful candidate will identify unique story angles on breaking news and spot interesting developments ahead of the competition. Our Express Desk reporters relish not only working the phones but also getting out of the office. Although the reporters primarily focus on breaking news, they are expected to pitch original story ideas and produce occasional enterprise reporting. This position is ideal for a motivated self-starter who loves the thrill of breaking exclusive stories and beating the competition.
Express Desk reporters form the central hub of operations for big breaking news events and will work closely with other parts of the newsroom, such as video and photo, to ensure stories are the best they can be for our readers.
We are looking for an intern who has at least one prior internship in a professional newsroom and comes with strong recommendations from working journalists familiar with your skills.
Responsibilities
- Write breaking and trending news stories across a variety of subject areas, often multiple times a day
- Find unique angles that resonate with our growing audience and are different from our competitors’ approaches
- Write engaging headlines that work well for social media and SEO
- Work diligently to break news first and hit tight deadlines
- Tackle a wide variety of subject matter willingly and show an aptitude for quickly learning about subjects and industries outside your comfort zone
Requirements
- Proven ability to write quickly, cleanly and accurately under deadline pressure
- Demonstrated ability to monitor social media, public sources and other news outlets, making the most out of available technology to find stories, confirm facts and identify sources
- Excellent verbal communication and collaboration skills
- Willingness to learn and take constructive feedback
- Knowledge of AP style
- Willingness to work at least one weekend day and/or night shifts as required
- Enthusiasm for bringing fresh ideas to the way we cover news, making the best of emerging technologies and experimenting with new ways we can attract a larger audience, in keeping with the spirit of The Standard’s innovative newsroom.
This is an in-office position in our San Francisco office, with occasional remote work depending on the days/times of your shifts.
This internship pays $25 per hour, and may be part-time or full-time.
To apply for this position, please submit your resume along with 4 to 6 published work samples, a cover letter and contact information for at least two references. In your cover letter, pitch two story ideas you’d be interested in pursuing as an intern—no subject matter is off limits, as long as it has some connection to San Francisco. Your pitches should explain why the stories would be relevant and interesting to readers, and how you would approach them. Your cover letter should also detail when you are available to start working, and what days and times you are regularly available for work.