Job Description
Reporting Apprentice (Volunteer)
Note: the following is an opportunity for volunteer, part-time, and flexible work. Please DO NOT APPLY if you are only looking for paid employment. This is a work at home position.
Are you a college student or recent graduate looking to improve your reporting and writing skills? The non-profit news organization WhoWhatWhy is looking for Volunteer Journalism Apprentices to join our reporting team. You will have the opportunity to investigate and report on national stories under the guidance of experienced senior editors. This position is a volunteer role, although apprentices who show exceptional promise may be invited to stay on as a stipended fellow.
Who We Are
WhoWhatWhy is a non-profit news organization and community providing the public with high-quality investigative and analytical forensic journalism on the great issues facing humankind. A nonprofit that accepts no advertising, we are staffed largely with skilled volunteers dedicated to elevating public awareness and fostering a more vigorous democracy.
Apprenticeship Program Overview
Since its founding, WhoWhatWhy has worked with aspiring young journalists to help them hone their reporting and writing skills, offering them the opportunities no class, college newspaper, or internship with a local publication can provide.
Because WhoWhatWhy has always operated on a remote basis our mentors are experienced in providing the sort of “distance learning” that is now needed for young people counting on in-person internships to get their careers underway.
WhoWhatWhy mentors are seasoned journalists who coach Apprentices through the development and publication of a minimum of four stories--news, opinion, or analysis.
Apprentices who complete our program say they are well prepared to contribute to the real journalism that — particularly now — is so sorely needed.
The most important quality of WhoWhatWhy Apprentice applicants is a passion for serious journalism. WhoWhatWhy seeks applicants with some reporting and writing experience, from college students and recent graduates to young and midlife professionals, both US citizens and internationals. The commitment is 5-10 hours per week for a minimum of four and a maximum of six months.
Our Mentor
Our mentor group includes working journalists on the staff of WhoWhatWhy, as well as top educators and current and former journalists from other media outlets and publications.
Many of our mentors have decades of combined experience working with young reporters at such publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Hill, as well as local, regional, and online publications like Buzzfeed and Vice. Others have taught journalism at the college and graduate school levels.
WhoWhatWhy mentors and staff also help Apprentices find jobs through letters of recommendation, references, networking, and coaching
Expectations
You will work remotely and on your own schedule. We also ask for a minimum commitment of 10-15 hours a week (Though doing more is not discouraged!). Because our staff is spread throughout the world, we communicate mostly through Slack and email, and team members are requested to be highly responsive in a timely manner.
To Apply
Please send us a resume, three writing samples, and a carefully reasoned, customized cover letter (no form submissions!) that outlines who you are and what you hope to accomplish as an apprentice. Your cover letter should reflect that you grasp what we do at WhoWhatWhy. Our mission must resonate deeply with you. Please confirm your understanding that this is a volunteer position.We will not review applications that appear to be mass submissions.. If there is no option to attach a cover letter, please send a cover letter to hr@whowhatwhy.org.
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