Photo Courtesy Dow Jones News Fund
Alejandra Yañez | THE RIDER
The Dow Jones News Fund puts students in contact with paid internship programs, but has never had a student from the Rio Grande Valley accepted. In summer 2021, UTRGV students could be the first to participate in the program.
Applications are open to college juniors, senior and graduate students. The deadline to apply is Nov. 9 and there is no application fee.
Within the program are four applications: business reporting, digital media reporting, multiplatform editing and data journalism.
“Business reporting and digital media reporting–this is reporting incidents, basically writing stories or creating content about business trends, labor relations, local businesses as well as the stock market,” said Linda Shockley, the managing director for the Dow Jones News Fund.
Shockley said the digital media program focuses on jobs related to analyzing web traffic, social media management, designing and creating audio or video content.
“The editing program focuses on visual-design skills, headline writing, line editing, high-quality print and digital products on a deadline for newspapers, magazines and websites,” she said.
Data journalism involves using data to tell important stories.
“So, whether that’s digging through public records, creating interactive data visualizations or learning how to use different computer software programs,” Shockley said.
Shockley said a student from UT Arlington was selected in the past, “but we haven’t seen anybody from the Rio Grande Valley, so we would love to have them.”
UTRGV’s Student Media department will sponsor an information session with Shockley on the program at 2 p.m. Friday via Zoom. To RSVP for the session, visit the Student Media page on VLink.
The Dow Jones News Fund has been arranging internships for students since 1960.
Students interested in applying must submit a resume, unofficial transcript as well as a 500-word essay. The application also required students to provide two references.
Shortly after submitting their applications, students will be emailed a one-hour test.
The test “emphasizes all the things that professors have been telling you, not just current events, but grammar, spelling, punctuation and knowledge of the world today,” Shockley said.
Every application cycle, 80 students are selected to participate in the program and reap the rewards. These include a $1,500 scholarship, networking connections and becoming part of the alumni network.
“At the end of a successful internship, if you’re finishing school but you have outstanding federal loans, the Dow Jones News Fund will provide money towards paying back the student loan or money toward the scholarship,” Shockley said.
Once accepted into the program, students go through a rigorous one-week training, which is administered by college professors who specialize in the field.
Daniella Medina, a graduate student from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, was a participant of the Dow Jones News Fund last summer.
Medina had originally applied to all four internships, and was selected for digital media reporting.
“I found out about the program at the beginning of Fall 2019 from one of my professors,” she said.
Asked what her experience in the program was like, Medina replied, “It was such a great experience and I had such a great team.”
During her time as an intern, Medina worked as the managing editor for a project called Behind the Screen, which focussed on K-12 education and how it was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the pandemic, Medina’s group of interns was the first to attend the training virtually.
However, despite the challenges she said she was grateful to be able to work with like-minded people from all parts of the country.
Asked what she would consider to be the greatest takeaway from the program, Medina replied, “I think even though it was all virtual, I have people that I made a connection with for a lifetime. It’s really great to find people that are so like-minded and working in the same field as you because you don’t really find that often. Usually, at the university, it’s all competition-based or you don’t really get close to people in your class, but here working with such a small group of people, that was definitely a great part of it.”
Medina said she still keeps in touch with her teammates.
She said her training from the program has proven to be especially useful in her current internship with the USA Today Network.
“After I got selected into the Dow Jones News Fund, my internship was with the USA Today Network and they did offer me a full-time position,” Medina said. “So, I’m working with them now full time, which was awesome, especially right out of college. I was able to get a full-time job.”
Her message for students who are interested in applying to the Dow Jones News Fund is: “Apply! I heavily encourage any journalist. There were some people who weren’t even journalism majors in the program. They were English majors or film majors. There’s something for everyone in the field and the people you meet, the connections you make, you won’t be able to find anywhere else. It’s amazing to be a part of such a great group of people. I definitely encourage anyone even thinking about it to apply for sure.”
