The Star Tribune Media Company is the largest source of news and information in the upper Midwest, delivering more of what matters to Minnesota all day, every day.  In the 16th-largest U.S. market, Star Tribune reaches more consumers than any other media brand, with the country’s 5th-largest Sunday newspaper, the most-visited local website, numerous mobile and tablet apps, and a portfolio of print and digital products. In 2013 the company was recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes, as well as the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce “Best in Business” award.

The Star Tribune is offering a sports reporting internship for 12 weeks in 2016. It will start in mid- to late January. The successful candidate will be a member of our high school coverage team and will be expected to cover news, games, write features and produce some multimedia. We recruit nationally for our internship program and pride ourselves on choosing talented, driven college and graduate students who can cover breaking news as well as enterprise stories. Our sports intern will be paid the same as a first-year professional, $720 a week in 2016.

We provide:

• a real-world experience in a major daily newsroom
• a challenging and affirming environment that includes mentors as well as supervisors
• opportunities to meet with news colleagues to discuss their craft areas 

We expect our interns:

• to develop their own story ideas and to push hard at the assignments we give them
• to have a valid driver’s license if working as a reporter or photographer  
• to conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Most successful applicants have completed their junior or senior year of college, worked for a college news outlet AND interned with at least one other professional daily news organization. While we would never say never, the odds of your landing one of our internship spots are not good if you’ve never interned at a professional newspaper, news magazine or website. We’re looking for budding journalists who have demonstrated they’re ready to make the most of this opportunity.

Your application, which must be uploaded or postmarked by Oct. 16, 2015, should include:

• A cover letter explaining why you want to be a journalist and what skills you’d bring to the sports reporting position 

• Five to 10 of your best published clips demonstrating your ability to report and write clear, compelling stories on deadline

• A portfolio of your best work, including pieces that demonstrate your ability to produce clear, compelling stories on deadline

• A resume detailing your journalism experience and three references, including their titles, phone numbers and email addresses

• Two letters of recommendation. At least one of those letters should come from an editor who has seen you work in a professional environment on deadline. Do not submit letters of reference from fellow student journalists.

• Your references can email letters of recommendation to newsrecruiter[at]startribune.com with your name in the subject line, or mail to Colleen Stoxen, Star Tribune Deputy Managing Editor, 650 3rd Ave. S., Suite 1300, Minneapolis, MN 55488. Please ask references to write your name on the envelope. 

Questions?

If you have questions about the internship program that are not answered here, please reach out to our internship coordinators.

• Call Colleen Stoxen at 612-673-7467 or email cstoxen[at]startribune.com.

• Call staff writer Neal Justin at 612-673-7431 or email njustin[at]startribune.com

Please DO NOT email your applications; to apply, you must use SmartRecruiters.com.