Observer Editorial Internships
The New York Observer is New York's premiere weekly newspaper. For the past two decades, the salmon-colored paper has captured a loyal readership through its witty, irreverent, and opinionated coverage of New York politics, society, media, publishing, real estate, and arts and culture. Published every Wednesday, the newspaper's editorial team is led by distinguished journalist Peter W. Kaplan.
The Observer has published many of the nation's top journalists, critics and essayists over the years, including Joe Conason, John Heilpern, Rex Reed, Andrew Sarris, Robert Gottlieb, Simon Doonan, Ron Rosenbaum, Frank DiGiacomo, Jim Windolf, Michael Lewis, Francine Prose, Philip Weiss, Joe Nocera, Susan Faludi, James Cramer, Peter Bogdanovich, Warren St. John, Jason Gay, Nick Paumgarten, Alex Kuczynski, A.J. Jacobs, and David Foster Wallace. In the mid-1990s, The Observer published "Sex and the City," Candace Bushnell's column on Manhattan's social life, on which the hit television series was based.
The Observer's website, observer.com, is updated throughout the day, with blogs on politics, culture, and real estate, as well as original reporting and analysis that consistently make national news.
The Observer's newsroom boasts a unique and tightly-knit culture that benefits from the energy and fearlessness of young reporters as well as from the experience and wisdom of editors. Interns are integrated into this environment, and into the weekly production cycle of the paper, where they have the opportunity to gain invaluable reporting and general newsroom experience. On deadline, interns are charged with fact-checking articles as they move from writer to editor to copy desk to production. Off deadline, interns are encouraged to become acquainted with editors and writers, get involved in longer-term projects, and do their own reporting and writing for the paper.
The Observer runs three internship sessions a year: Winter (early January through May), Summer (late May through August), and Fall (early September through December).
Most summer interns work five days a week, while fall and spring interns work as their schedule allows, but no fewer than two days a week (at least one of which should be a Monday or Tuesday). Many of our interns are published in the paper and/or online - from book and music reviews to on-the-ground reporting - and several have continued to file for us after the internship has ended.
The Observer also hires not infrequently from its pool of interns, present and past.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Because the internship is unpaid, interns must be eligible to receive academic credit for the internship. If you are in school, contact your career counselor for more information. In some cases, students who have just graduated may participate in a summer internship and still receive credit from their school.
HOW TO APPLY
Send the following to Jesse Wegman, Managing Editor, at jwegman@observer.com, and write "Observer Internship Application" in the subject line.
1) resume (Word or PDF)
2) brief cover letter (Word or PDF)
3) 3 Clips (Word or PDF)
Sending applications by regular mail is not necessary.
Application deadlines are as follows:
For Winter/Spring session: December 15
For Summer session: February 15
For Fall Session: August 15
Thank you for your interest; we look forward to hearing from you.
Jesse Wegman
Managing Editor
The New York Observer
915 Broadway, 9th floor
New York, NY 10010
