| Q
& A Students
What's all the buzz about?
What will I do during
my internship?
Is Chips Quinn more than
an internship?
How do I become a Chips
Quinn Scholar?
Do I have to meet any
requirements to be considered?
I haven't had a newspaper
internship. Does this hurt my chances?
When is the application
deadline?
Do I need a car?
How do I get placed with
a newspaper?
I know where I want to
be an intern. Can I request a specific newsroom?
Which newspapers participate?
Will I get paid?
Where will I live? Do
I pay for my own housing?
I have plans to attend
an industry convention. Can I take time off during my internship?
Do I get any training
before I start my internship?
What's orientation all
about?
After orientation, am
I on my own?
The program sounds great,
but what am I missing?
What's all the buzz about?
The Chips Quinn Scholars Program has placed more than 700
young people of color in newspaper newsroom internships, opening
the door to careers in journalism for these students. More
than two-thirds of Chips Quinn alumni continue to work in
media, as reporters, photographers, editors and other news
professionals.
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What will I do during my internship?
Chips Quinn Scholars get hands-on experience reporting, copy
editing, taking photographs, designing pages or creating graphics
during their newspaper internships.
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Is Chips Quinn more than an internship?
Yes. In addition to newspaper internships, the program offers
journalism training, coaching and mentoring. Scholars receive
a $500 housing allowance at the beginning of their internship
and are reimbursed for mileage to and from their internships.
After successful completion of the program, Scholars receive
a $1,000 award. But the title "Chips Quinn Scholar"
lives on long after the internship ends. The Chips Quinn Scholars
Association allows alums to network with one another and contribute
to the mentoring of new Scholars.
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How do I become a Chips Quinn
Scholar?
Scholars are accepted into the program by nomination from
journalism faculty and campus media advisers, editors of newspapers
or leaders of minority journalism associations. Nominees must
complete an application
and submit transcripts, a half-dozen work samples, two letters
of recommendation, a photograph and an essay about why they
believe they should be Chips Quinn Scholars.
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Do I have to meet any requirements
to be considered?
College juniors, seniors or recent graduates with majors in
journalism or goals in newspaper careers are eligible. Applicants
must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United
States.
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I haven't had a newspaper internship.
Does this hurt my chances?
The mission of the Chips Quinn Scholars program is to help
open doors to journalism careers for students of color. Having
a previous internship is not required. In fact, the program
provides many students with their first exposure to a newspaper
newsroom. Previous work on a campus newspaper or other publication
is strongly encouraged, and journalism course work is a good
foundation for an internship.
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When is the application deadline?
Oct. 15 is the deadline to apply for both Spring and Summer
internships.
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Do I need a car?
Yes. Having transportation is essential to covering the news.
So for most newspaper newsroom positions, having a car is
a requirement of employment.
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How do I get placed with a newspaper?
The Freedom Forum matches nominees with participating newspapers
for 10- to 12-week paid internships. Newspaper editors choose
their interns after considering the needs of their newsrooms,
reviewing application materials and conducting phone interviews
with prospective interns. Placement notifications for the
Summer program are made by the Freedom Forum as early as mid-November
and continue through the end of April. Placement for the Spring
program begins in November and continues into January.
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I know where I want to be an intern. Can
I request a specific newsroom?
We're happy to hear about geographic interests, but we can't
guarantee placement in a specific newsroom. We consider the
experience and needs of the intern and the needs of the newsroom
and work toward placements that benefit both the intern and
the newspaper.
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Which newspapers participate?
Since the Chips Quinn Scholars Program began in 1991, more
than 135 newspapers across the country have hosted interns.
The newspaper themselves are diverse, varying in circulation
size, location and ownership.
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Will I get paid?
Yes. Salaries vary from newspaper to newspaper, depending
upon location, circulation size and other factors. The minimum
salary for 2003 is $425 a week. Questions about salary should
be discussed with an editor before an internship is accepted.
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Where will I live? Do I pay for
my own housing?
You are responsible for your own housing. A $500 housing allowance
from the Freedom Forum helps you offset the cost. Many newsrooms
offer interns help in identifying appropriate neighborhoods
and housing locations. At some newspapers, newsroom staffers
offer housing for interns at affordable rates. Check with
your editor and talk with folks in the newsroom before beginning
your search. Check out your newspaper's classified ads for
information about housing costs.
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I have plans to attend an industry
convention. Can I take time off during my internship?
Arrangements for time off must be made with a newspaper editor
before you accept an internship. That way, you and the editor
can best set the dates for your internship, and the editor
can arrange the newsroom work schedule. Know that time off
during an internship is without pay.
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Do I get any training before I
start my internship?
Scholars participate in a five-day orientation program at
Freedom Forum headquarters in Arlington, Va., in preparation
for their internships. Orientation for the spring program
is in mid-January. Orientation for the summer program is in
mid-May.
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What's orientation all about?
Orientation begins with a dinner the first evening, and the
learning and the fun continues until the afternoon of the
fifth day. Scholars hear from experienced editors and journalists
and learn about writing, reporting, interviewing, editing
and photography. Speakers lead discussions of specialty topics
such as ethics, the First Amendment, newspaper readers and
online news. Scholars receive advice from alums now at work
in full-time newspaper jobs. Scholars also develop strong
friendships with other interns and make key contacts with
professional journalists.
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After orientation, am I on my
own?
No. Program Director Karen Catone likes to say that the Chips
Quinn Scholars Program is about developing a network of minority
journalists who can provide support throughout one's career.
During the internship, all Scholars work with either a professional
writing coach or an alumni mentor who provides long-distance
support via e-mail and phone calls. Some individual newsrooms
provide additional training and coaching for their interns.
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The program sounds great, but
what am I missing?
Only a great opportunity --- if you don't apply. The Chips
Quinn Scholars program gives students paid internships, valuable
training, a network of colleagues and friends and the opportunity
to begin a career as a newspaper journalist.
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