OVERVIEW
Interested in working with some of the best journalists around? We offer 10 weeks of intensive, hands-on experience in a region where big stories are the norm. We place interns throughout the Los Angeles Times: Metro/Local, Arts and Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Business, Features (Fashion, Food, Travel, Home Design, Mind & Body), Foreign/National, Editorial Pages, Photography/Video, Data and Graphics, Design, Digital/Engagement and in our Washington, D.C., bureau. (Our multiplatform editing intern comes through the Dow Jones News Fund’s national selection process, and that deadline was Nov. 8.) These are paid internships and placements usually run from June to late August. We do not have fall or spring internships.
Applications for summer 2020 have closed. We’ll be opening up the process for summer 2021 in August of this year.
Qualifications
Applicants must be actively working toward an undergraduate or graduate degree and must be eligible to work in the U.S. Graduates may qualify if you’ve finished school within six months of the start of the internship. Applicants for the visual journalism and most reporting internships must have a valid driver’s license and access to a car in good working condition. Internships are for students who have not worked professionally as staff journalists. Little training is offered, so previous internship experience is required.
For further information, contact Director of News Development Tracy Boucher at (213) 237-6737 or at tracy.boucher@latimes.com. The link to submit an online application can be found below.
Summer Reporting Internships (Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.)
2020 L.A. Times Summer Reporting Internships (Los Angeles)
2020 L.A. Times Summer Political Reporting Internship (Washington, D.C.)
We place reporting interns throughout the L.A. Times: Metro/Local, Arts and Entertainment, Sports, Business, Editorial Pages, Foreign/National, Features (Fashion, Food, Travel, Home Design, Mind & Body) and in our Washington, D.C., bureau. A vehicle is not required for the Editorial Pages or D.C. internships.
Submit a brief cover letter; resume with three references; one-page personal essay; and up to 10 work samples.
Deadline
Nov. 1, 2019, for the 2020 summer positions. Applications are now closed.
Summer Visual Journalism Internships (Photo and Video)
2020 L.A. Times Summer Visual Journalism Internships
Submit a brief cover letter; resume with three references; one-page personal essay; and links to a portfolio with three complete photo stories or multimedia stories and a selection of single images. This is an advanced program, with one to two previous internships required. Applicants should have their own camera equipment; a limited amount of pool gear is available.
Deadline
Nov. 1, 2019, for the summer 2020 positions. Applications are now closed.
Summer Digital/Engagement Internship
2020 L.A. Times Summer Digital/Engagement Internship
Submissions will be accepted for paid internships in audience engagement, digital editing and production. These are not reporting positions. Web internships do not require a car. Submit a brief cover letter; resume with three references; one-page personal essay; and links to any online work.
Deadline
Dec. 1, 2019, for the summer 2020 placement. Applications are now closed.
Summer Design Internship
2020 L.A. Times Summer Design Internship
Submissions will be accepted for internships working alongside some of the best designers in the business. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a strong visual sense for page design outside the classroom and have newsroom deadline experience. We’re looking for interns to work in multiple areas of our expansive editorial operation, including News, Features, Sports and Business. Design internships do not require a car. These are paid positions.
Submit a brief cover letter; resume with three references; one-page personal essay; and up to 10 work samples.
Deadline
Dec. 15, 2019, for the summer 2020 placement. Applications are now closed.
Summer Data and Graphics Department Internships
2020 Summer Data and Graphics Department Internships
The Los Angeles Times is seeking summer interns to join its Data and Graphics Department. They will partner with reporters and editors across the newsroom to inform and engage our readers.
These paid jobs will provide experience working with professional reporters and computer programmers as they report the news. The interns will join a newsroom team that works to collect, organize, analyze and present structured data. Its journalism has attracted millions of readers, sparked sweeping government reforms and helped win some of our industry’s highest awards.
Past interns have built searchable databases, invented newsroom tools, released open-source libraries, visualized data and developed maps. They have gone on to jobs at the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Associated Press, ProPublica, Vox Media and Politico.
We don’t expect our interns to walk in the door with knowledge of every programming language. But strong applicants will demonstrate having used computers to be creative and get things done on deadline.
Interested in applying? Send us your resume and three references, along with links to the things you’ve made that you’re most proud of. Include a cover letter explaining how you helped make them.
If you have any questions, direct them to Ben Welsh at ben.welsh@latimes.com.
Deadline
Dec. 31, 2019, for the summer 2020 placement. Applications are now closed.
OTHER PROGRAMS
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST INTERNSHIPS
As a creative technologist intern, you will use your hands-on skills to build prototypes during a 10-week program at our headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., working with our technology team. You will have the opportunity to closely observe the newsroom, understand how news is produced, and team up with other interns to develop proof-of-concept prototypes for future products. Depending on the type of project, interns can expect to create up to three prototypes. You will be asked to present your designs to newsroom stakeholders and the product team at the end of each design cycle.
Who Should Apply?
In this role, you’ll have the chance to prototype news products of the future. The ideal candidate will have the following traits:
- Curious and open-minded
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Adept at working on early-stage ideas
- Passion about local restaurants or events is a plus for this application cycle
Recommended Skills
Applicants with expertise in at least one of the areas below are encouraged to apply.
- User research
- Design thinking
- UI/UX design
- Physical prototyping
- Web app development
- Mobile app development
- Product design and development
- Mathematical modeling and optimization
This full-time spring internship started Jan. 20. We also accepted applications for summer 2020. The deadline to apply was Jan. 31.
2020 Los Angeles Times Spring Creative Technologist Internships
2020 L.A. Times Summer Creative Technologist Internships
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METPRO
Metpro is a unique program started in 1984 to help beginning journalists launch careers and boost diversity in newsrooms.
The Los Angeles Times is seeking high-potential, highly motivated aspiring journalists with diverse backgrounds or life experiences. The program’s main thrust is to provide participants – recent college graduates or journalists with limited professional experience – the training and support necessary to put them on a fast track to success.
Metpro is not an internship but a formal fellowship customized to help trainees realize their goals. The paid, full-time program lasts up to two years and is included in the Los Angeles Times Guild. We accept applications from those eligible to work in the U.S. with up to three years of experience in a professional newsroom or up to five years in media settings such as weeklies and community newsrooms, websites, fellowships or freelance work.
The application deadline for the 2020 class is Feb. 15.
Details can be found at https://metpronews.submittable.com/ or www.metpronews.com.
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HIGH SCHOOL INSIDER
HS Insider is a digital platform started by the Los Angeles Times to help student journalists across the Southland tell stories that are important to them and their communities. We partner with high schools, students and faculty to create a hub for collaborative student journalism. HS Insider also taps into the talent and experience in our newsroom by arranging for Los Angeles Times reporters and editors to visit schools and help students with their work. Working alongside some of the best reporters in the business provides valuable experience for HS Insider student journalists. Contributors will also have an opportunity to apply for a paid summer internship with HS Insider. If you are a student, parent or school administrator who is interested in more information, contact Molly Heber at molly.heber@latimes.com.