Three ways to build pathways to careers in nonprofit news
I think a lot about career pathways. Some people call them talent pipelines, but I prefer the idea of people negotiating professional journeys rather than being pumped through a tube.
In my position as director of leadership and talent development at INN, I also consider the many points in a career when someone might turn toward a long-term role in nonprofit news or away from it. For me, helping people along the nonprofit news path means things like building field awareness by talking with high school students about nonprofit service journalism as a potential career. It means investing in leaders and growing their skills so they flourish in our field, and it also means building pathways into journalism through internship programs that introduce emerging journalists and business-side talent to our field and set them up for continuing success.
Today, INN partners with a growing number of schools and professional development organizations like the Missouri School of Journalism and The Emma Bowen Foundation, and in 2023 more than 70 interns and fellows joined INN members through this work. And outcomes look heartening for the field, with nearly 25% of 2018–2022 interns from partnership programs working in nonprofit news today.
Right now I’m particularly excited about a new collaboration designed to increase the number of military veterans in nonprofit news, a loan repayment assistant program from longtime partner Columbia Journalism School benefitting graduates working in nonprofit newsrooms, and the success of our first year in partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund that placed eight interns with INN member newsrooms participating in the Rural News Network.
In addition to the internship work INN is involved in, member news organizations both large and small operate their own programs, and each year they bring the proven benefits of work experience and other key learning opportunities to hundreds of emerging journalism, product, development and audience professionals each year. In many communities, INN members are serving both as vital sources of local news and major contributors in journalism education.
This deep commitment to education and raising up the next generation of journalists has translated into insights and best practices that INN members share across the network.
Whatever role brings you to building internships — be it in a newsroom, a university, as a funder or a professional development role like mine — here are three principles to keep in mind.
- Think creatively when it comes to funding. To build a journalism field that is more diverse and inclusive, one of the first barriers we can remove is the unpaid internship. The conversation around paying interns and understanding why it’s important has expanded dramatically in recent years, but I think the ‘why’ is always worth repeating. Journalism is a fast-paced and pragmatic profession, and entering the job market with a bundle of bylines or a portfolio of proven audience growth projects produced in a professional news organization places an emerging professional in a strong starting position. That’s a leg up that shouldn’t be available only to people who can put in long hours for free. So, how can we build more paid internships? Fundraising campaigns based specifically around supporting internships, shared investment between universities and newsrooms and engaging with local funders are just a few examples of how people are making paid internships happen.
- Clear communication and mentorship are the key to a successful internship. To gain clarity, start by writing a description of the intern’s role and responsibilities and then step back and think in detail about the investment of time and energy staff will make to support the intern in that work. If the investment is realistic and there’s staff buy-in, define onboarding and designate a regular editor/leader and an additional mentor — then orient those editors and mentors on how to successfully work with interns. Think about outside support that might benefit the intern, for example, covering BIPOC interns’ membership in AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ or IJA and making time for them to attend local chapter events. (Find this and more excellent advice from Benét Wilson here.) Make space for feedback from interns and realize that thoughtful programs constantly improve; it’s better to start small and iterate than to start big with vague goals that leave interns and staff rudderless and stressed.
- Stretch your partnership building skills in new directions. We all value established, comfortable professional relationships, but constantly turning to the same places to build partnerships and recruit interns means losing out on chances to diversify and strengthen organizations. In 2024, I challenge myself, and any of you doing internship work, to push beyond whatever space has become our comfort zone. That could mean expanding beyond editorial internships into membership, fundraising, operations or any of the other many skill sets that are crucial to a sustainable nonprofit news organization. Journalism teachers and students, you can find a new newsroom to connect with right here in the INN membership. News organizations, there’s a community college or university nearby that would love to see its students join your ranks. And funders, there is a nonprofit newsroom in your region educating people who are the future of service journalism right now.
There is no single roadway or pipeline into the nonprofit news field. And that’s a good thing, because together we can do the long-term work of creating many paths so people with different backgrounds, experiences and goals both join this field and thrive in their journey.
