Summer Journalism Internship Opportunities

The English Department’s summer internship program in journalism offers students the unusual opportunity to get on-the-job experience at local media outlets.  Internships are available at venues both in Detroit and in Ann Arbor and typically last 8-12 weeks May-August. Exact timing will vary from placement to placement.

Funding is available to support students and their work in this program. While all LSA students are welcome to apply, preference will be given to English majors, English minors / Creative Writing minors then students who have enrolled in one or more journalism-related courses in the Department of English.

The 2025 Summer Journalism Internship Program application will be available in late January

Application tips:

• Update your cover letter and resume.  It is likely that your cover letter and resume will be sent to multiple organizations for consideration, so do not address your cover letter to any specific organization. Cover letters should be addressed to: Internship Director Lisa Makman. 
• Submit the Summer Journalism Internship Application by Sunday, March 2nd at 11:59PM.
  

Internship Partners - Take a look at some of our frequent placements!

Ann Arbor Observer

Would you like to work locally with the community’s longest-running monthly magazine? The popular Ann Arbor Observer has a history in our community that reaches back almost fifty years. It provides county residents with local news, reviews, and calendars of events. The Observer also publishes the highly-regarded annual City Guide. Students interning at the Observer will have the opportunity to research and write articles for the City Guide, to work on expanding the Observer’s website, and/or to produce copy under the supervision of events editor, Jen Taylor. This internship has flexible hours and a flexible time frame.

Bridge Magazine

Bridge Michigan is offering a summer internship for a University of Michiganstudent interested in a career in journalism.

Bridge is a daily, statewide, online-only publication of news and analysisfocused on issues affecting the residents of Michigan, with a monthly readership of about 400,000. Our veteran 19-member journalism staff, which includes five who’ve been honored as Michigan Journalist of the Year (including the past four years in a row), and others who have won numerous national awards. We don’t cover sports or entertainment, just the news on beats like education, environment, health, business and government and political reporting.

This summer,  we will have three interns, splitting time between work in our offices in Ypsilanti and Lansing, and working remotely. This is a full-time position (40 hours a week, Monday through Friday), for between six and eight weeks. We expect interns to be based in Michigan, and availability of personal transportation is a big plus.

Past interns have gone on to fellowships at the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. One went to Harvard Law and two became Rhodes Scholars. In past years, interns have published between six and 18 stories for Bridge, while working with many of our full-time journalists. Beyond traditional reporting, we are open to an internship focused on social media and alternative forms of engaging audience.

Candidates are more likely to succeed if they’ve had previous journalism experience, either in the classroom, at a student publication or both. Bridge internships are intense, demanding and rewarding. You will leave here a better journalist, and with a good sense of what it takes to succeed in this business.

Detroit Free Press

Interested in working at a large and renowned daily paper? The award-winning Detroit Free Press is looking for high-energy, self-starting interns to join the largest news organization in Michigan for 10-12 week assignments on our breaking and trending news team on a full-time or part-time basis. The candidates for these positions will be responsible for researching, reporting and writing compelling journalism and shooting videos that continuously grows audience – particularly our mobile audience – by informing and engaging readers on all platforms. Interns will be asked to provide thoughtful analysis of complex issues and trending news, connecting with readers through social media, while working with the content coach and web team to shape storytelling to meet audience needs and interests. Applicants should have some familiarity with journalism (a journalism course or college newspaper experience).

The Detroit News

Features Internship

The Detroit News is seeking a Features writing intern for this summer. The selected candidate will cover a variety of stories for our Arts & Style and Go! Sections and digital products, which includes coverage of human interest stories, events, music, trends, social interests and featurettes. The qualified candidate will also pitch story ideas and cover breaking news. The qualified candidate should have an interest in digital and print journalism, be well-versed in AP style, and must have reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license. Direct inquiries to Leslie Crutchfield, features editor, at lcrutchfield@detroitnews.com with “Features internship” in the subject field.

Detroit River Story Lab 

U-M’s Detroit River Story Lab has arranged with a variety of local community journalism partners to host paid summer internships for U-M students this summer. While partner organizations will make final hiring decisions, DRSL will collect and pre-screen applications on their behalf and provide funding support for the internships.

The application for these DRSL-sponsored positions consists of a resume, a one-page cover letter specific to a single position, and a polished writing sample. To apply, combine all three parts into a single pdf file, and email it as an attachment to DRSL-Admin@umich.edu, along with a message indicating which position you’re applying for. If you’d like to apply for more than one, please prepare and submit a separate application packet for each.

Michigan News

Have you ever wondered how the University of Michigan conveys U-M news to the broader world? Michigan News is the central campus office that promotes research, major events, expertise and programs to enhance the university’s reputation around the world. Michigan News uses multiple methods and platforms for storytelling, including news release distribution, social media engagement and multimedia production. Interns working with Michigan News may work on a specific publication or project, or may be able to work across the organization.

Michigan Quarterly Review

Michigan Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary and international literary journal, combining distinctive voices in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as works in translation. Our work extends online as well, where we publish cultural commentary alongside reviews and interviews with writers, artists, and cultural figures around the world. The flagship literary journal of the University of Michigan, our magazine embraces creative urgency and cultural relevance, aiming to challenge conventions and address long-overdue conversations. As we continue to promote an expansive and inclusive vision, we seek work from established and emerging writers with diverse aesthetics and experiences.

MLIVE

Do you want to get some experience at Michigan’s most-read news site? MLive offers reporting internships throughout the year in various locations, including Ann Arbor. Durations are for up to six months but can be shorter. The internships focus intensively on local news reporting and are an excellent opportunity to work with experienced editors and reporters while reporting and writing local news. MLive offers the benefits and resources of a large organization, but also the hands-on mentorship of a small team. We want to help train the next generation of journalists. It’s a mission we take seriously at MLive. 

Michigan Public