Writing Internship at the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian’s Office of Communications and External Affairs (OCEA) is accepting applications for a writing intern for its Internal Communications team.

When:

Four months from September 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016.

What:

Candidate will be involved with at least 12 feature and news stories to the Torch, a Smithsonian website and blog maintained by the Central Office of Public Affairs aimed at an internal audience of staff and volunteers. Articles will highlight the research and accomplishments of Smithsonian staff in science, art, history and culture.

Learning opportunities will include regular on-site editorial meetings; performing general research; conducting interviews with Smithsonian experts and staff; generating story ideas based on current events, breaking news and trending topics; meeting daily and weekly deadlines; editing and clearing copy; writing photo and video captions; and assisting with monitoring and posting to social media accounts. Duties may also include creating multimedia content such as photos, video clips and short video stories.

Pre-requisites:

To take advantage of this opportunity, demonstrated ability to work independently is required. Strong writing skills are required. Solid knowledge of the principles of journalism and experience in general feature writing is required. Experience writing in a variety of formats, including Q&A interviews and listicles is desired. Proficiency in AP style is preferred. Ability to create multimedia content such as photos, video clips and short video stories is preferred. Familiarity with the Smithsonian Institution is a plus.

Learning Objectives:

• Translating complex concepts, ideas and research for a lay audience into engagingly written short articles, interviews, etc.
• Writing on deadline and turning in clean, fact-checked copy
• Generating original story ideas
• Interviewing experts in the field and in a museum setting
• Creating text, graphics and video for a public website
• Working with editor to develop story ideas and social media strategy

How It Works:

To apply, plese send:

1) A cover letter explaining what you hope to learn during this internship

2) Resume

3) Writing Sample

…as a single pdf to torch@si.edu no later than Wednesday 8/31/16.

This opportunity is supported with a stipend of $1,500