Rural Community Resilience Reporter

Job Title: Rural Community Resilience Reporter 

Internship Overview

We are looking for a passionate student with an interest in becoming an effective reporter to join a cohort of summer interns working to support community resilience in the Northeast Kingdom of VT.

The successful candidate will take the lead in the creative cycle of a series of news stories leading to a long-form article about how area governmental and civic organizations have, and are developing resilience based on their experiences responding to the COVID pandemic and the summer flooding of 2023 by investigating and writing rich and unbiased coverage about what is learned.

Requirements

We understand candidates are unlikely to possess all of the skills identified below. We encourage those looking to further develop their journalistic skills to apply. 

Work will involve attending meetings of select boards, electric boards, library boards, civic and neighbor-to-neighbor organizations while developing relationships with key government and civic officials, and community members.

The work will require: 

• Conducting research to uncover interesting and significant news.
• Gathering, corroborating and interpreting data.
• Interviewing key persons (witnesses, sources etc.) to obtain more information.
• Writing on a deadline.
• Working with the editor and productions staff to refine and improve draft copy.
• Working collaboratively as part of a team to produce the weekly newspaper.

Optional activities depending on the particular candidate selected may include:

• Taking photographs to add another dimension to articles.
• Assisting with the Gazette’s social media presence.
• Assisting with production activities.
• Covering special events.

Learning Objectives

• Learn and apply concepts of the Associated Press Stylebook (AP Style). 
• Learn how to define and use the common business terminology used at the worksite.
• Apply academic concepts to problems and issues within the industry.
• Understand the reporting process and create value for the organization and stakeholders.
• Produce high quality documents with word processing software and Adobe Creative Suite.j
• Demonstrate multi-channel communication skills including oral, written, audio/visual and digital.

Company Overview

The Hardwick Gazette is a 135 year old weekly newspaper that stopped printing during the pandemic and became an all-digital publication. 

In late December 2023 the paper was given to a newly formed nonprofit organization, Northeast Kingdom Public Journalism, formed to continue the legacy of the Gazette.

We now provide content free online and accept donations while we pursue grant funding from corporate and institutional sources to fund our mission of providing fair and accurate local journalism, shining a light on all aspects of life in our communities and creating a forum for deeper engagement.

Now based in Greensboro, we center our coverage on Hardwick and cover 10 other area towns. Our work offers local news, community events, entertainment and opinion directly relating to those towns.

We produce a weekly digital publication of between 16 and 30 pages as a PDF as well as posting all content on our website: hardwickgazette.org.

We maintain and curate a Facebook presence and are exploring other social media outlets.

Position Details

This position reports to and will work closely with the editor. It interfaces with production staff.

This position is half-time at 20 hours per week. The Gazette publishes Tuesday in the late afternoon or early evening with a reporting deadline of Monday at noon, though exceptions can be made with appropriate advance notice. 

Successful candidates will spend their time traveling to attend meetings in the various towns, which may be mostly in the evenings with some virtually online. They will be expected to produce drafts of most work by the beginning of the day Friday and work collaboratively with the editor and production staff before the Monday deadline.

At the beginning of the internship we will develop a plan with the successful candidate to work and be mentored by the editor and potentially production staff, contract writers and our photographer. The plan will identify goals and activities that will be helpful in acquiring  skills that the Gazette and the candidate identify as important to the candidate’s progress and the Gazette’s mission. Each week the intern will meet with the editor to evaluate progress toward the identified goals and adjust the plan as necessary

We expect the intern to write 3-5 reports weekly of the meetings they attend and use the information gained to produce a long-form article at the end of the internship. 

The final article will involve synthesizing and analyzing what has been learned about resiliency in the area’s towns to identify common themes, share plans that key experts identify as likely to be effective, and identify areas where further work would be useful. 

Additional areas may be identified that align with the successful candidate’s interest.

Location

The Hardwick Gazette is located at 82 Craftsbury Road, Greensboro, VT 05842.

UVM Support

The intern selected for this position will be part of a UVM sponsored cohort of interns working with organizations in the Northeast Kingdom who are supporting Community Resilience.  

Benefits will include

• Free intern housing for 8 weeks in a residence at Sterling College in Craftsbury, VT (June 2 - July 27.) Housing is also available in Newport and Lyndon. 
• Wage subsidy from UVM (all interns will earn $18/hr.)
• Being part of a transportation network to help you get to and from your worksite. 
• Participation in a week-long community orientation along with 8-9 other UVM interns placed in partner organizations. 
• Participation in weekly intern cohort workshops for professional development, networking, and reflection and a final sharing event on Thursday, July 25 from 12-3 p.m.

Further Requirements

• Minimum High School Graduate or GED (must be a current undergraduate student at UVM.)
• Preferred majors: Journalism, English, Communications (any major will be considered.)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of web and social media.
• Preferred experience with Word, Open Office, or Libre Office and InDesign.

How to Apply

Complete online application via Handshake.