Editorial Internships

Creative Loafing - Charlotte offers highly competitive internships to active journalism students. The internships offer students an opportunity to gain real-world experience at Charlotte’s leading alternative weekly newspaper.

As a small organization with a commitment to the very best journalism, we give interns a chance to learn how decisions are made. Interns are encouraged to pitch story ideas to all editors and sections of the paper, but we hold them to the same standards as our professional writers. Most interns leave their internships with a set of clips and have even contributed to feature stories and award-winning pieces. Creative Loafing interns are highly successful, self-motivated students and some have gone on to top graduate journalism programs, positions at other papers as well as working with Creative Loafing.

The best interns are assertive, ambitious and organized. Each candidate should have some journalism experience and must be working toward a degree. Additionally, candidates must be receiving credit for the internship. Do we make exceptions? NO. Students with published work preferred. We require a minimum commitment of 10-20 hours per week.

The number of interns working with the editorial staff varies but these are the general areas where most interns work:

Events: Interns support the events editor with listings.  It is an information bank of the arts and entertainment events taking place throughout the Charlotte area. Events interns also contribute to See & Do, a weekly round-up of the city's best events. As they establish their skills, interns may also write briefs and contribute to other sections, as well as contribute to our blogs.

Music: Music interns compile music listings, help organize and administer the local music archives, and assist the music editor in various projects. Once they have demonstrated their skills, music interns may be called upon to write record reviews or weekly music highlights. They will also contribute regularly to Vibes, our music blog.

News: Interns interested in covering hard news work with our award-winning staff writers and editors in the news department. News interns maintain our civic-related events and assist reporters in researching stories, compiling information and fact-checking. They will also be required to regularly post on our blog.

Arts: Arts interns compile visual and performing arts listings; help maintain art-related departments such as Arts Flash, Charlotte Best Sellers’ List and Local Lit, among others; and assist the arts editor in various projects. They will also contribute regularly to our blog.

Photography: The photography intern is given the opportunity to take photographs that will accompany articles published in the Creative Loafing newspaper and Web site. Prior knowledge of Adobe PhotoShop or other photo editing software is required. Must have own equipment and a reliable motor vehicle – no exceptions. The photography internship is for students who plan to become professional photographers rather than writers and would like to build up his or her portfolio.

Digital Photography: The objective of the digital photography internship is to gain experience in digital photography, Web publishing and working in a deadline-oriented environment. Interns must have his or her own camera and reliable transportation, access to the Internet, be 21 and up, and be available at least one night a week to work events.

Although we'll work with students regarding schedules and deadlines, we generally try to stick to three separate terms: fall (late August through early December), spring (mid-January through early May), summer (late May through early August). To apply, please send a cover letter (explaining how the internship will fit into your course of study), a resume, two references (with e-mail and phone number), and three samples of your work to:

Kimberly Lawson, Creative Loafing, 820 Hamilton St., Suite C2, Charlotte, NC 28206, or kimberly.lawson@creativeloafing.com.

No phone calls or surprise visits.