Become an Intern at Mother Jones

Click here to learn more about any of the following internships:

• Editorial Intern
• Photo/Art Intern
• Activism & Outreach Intern
• Marketing & Sales Intern

Editorial Intern

Mother Jones editorial interns receive training and hands-on experience in fact-checking, research, and reporting, in addition to a firsthand look at the production of an award-winning national magazine and website. Interns' primary focus is fact-checking articles and doing research for upcoming issues. Over the course of a 4-month internship, interns participate in the production of 2 issues, working closely with the research editor, story editors, and writers to verify everything that goes in the magazine. In between production cycles, interns are expected to pitch ideas and write short pieces for the magazine and for motherjones.com. Applicants should be smart, organized, extremely detail oriented, and well informed. They should be ready to track down hard-to-find information and distill it quickly, juggle several deadlines at once, and be confident enough to be an active member on our editorial team.

Interns looking to work closely with motherjones.com should apply to the editorial internship. There are opportunities to contribute to the production and management of our website through this program.

Editorial Duties:

• Fact-check several articles in each issue. This involves calling sources, locating primary documents, evaluating information, and working closely with the research editor, story editors, and writers;
• Occasionally pitch story ideas and write short pieces. This includes sidebars and boxes for the magazine and short features for the website;
• Contribute regularly to our blogs;
• Attend editorial and Web meetings as well as trainings and seminars on a variety of topics;
• Conduct research in support of articles and special projects published in the magazine and on the site;
• Code stories in HTML for website;
• Do other projects as assigned by the research editor.

Internships are full time, 5 days a week. Some late hours may be required during the two production crunch times. Internships last 4 months (no exceptions). Cycles begin during the first week of February, June, and October.

Benefits:

• Interns receive a $1,000/month living stipend (taxed)
• Interns receive a 5-day vacation allowance
• Mother Jones and its parent organization, the Foundation for National Progress, are committed to building and maintaining a diverse and welcoming workplace.

Fellowships:

Interns who distinguish themselves in their editorial duties and further distinguish themselves with excellent progress and accomplishment in reporting, writing, and general teamwork are eligible to become fellows. Promotion to fellow after completion of the 4-month internship is not automatic. The fellowship requires an additional 4-month commitment, and can be extended to 8 months. Fellows receive a $1,400/month stipend (taxed). Fellows continue to have their intern duties but are expected to take on additional editorial department responsibilities. Fellows also have more freedom to pursue their own story ideas and work on larger projects.

To apply for our editorial internship, please submit the following:

• application form (download as a pdf)
• cover letter and résumé, including the names and numbers of 2 references
• 2 clips/writing samples

Applications must be postmarked no later than 2 months prior to start date (August 1 for the October cycle) and decisions will be announced 1 month prior to the internship start date. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please mail to:

Celia Perry
Research Editor
222 Sutter St, Ste 600
San Francisco, CA 94108

You can submit your cover letter and résumé in plain text format via our contact page, but you will still need to submit your application by mail to the above address.

Absolutely no phone calls please.
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Photo/Art Intern

Mother Jones does not currently have a photo/art internship available. Please check back for updates.

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Activism & Outreach Intern

As part of the outreach team, you will help Mother Jones be a powerful, progressive influence on policymaking and the public debate, and will empower readers to take action on the issues we write about. You will learn how a nonprofit independent media organization operates through exposure to fundraising, marketing, promotion, and outreach and through everyday duties. This internship will allow you to garner valuable work experience that will help you build your career in publishing, activism, or the nonprofit community. Interns should have a strong interest in the workings of an independent nonprofit media enterprise. This is not an editorial internship.

This internship is 4 months long. Duties will be organized around the publication cycle of Mother Jones magazine and motherjones.com, and may include research about and contact with key public interest organizations and politicians to help get the word out about specific Mother Jones articles or stories, using social networking, social bookmarking, and social news sites to draw Web traffic to motherjones.com and reach new and diverse audiences; drafting of online and print outreach materials; and researching and updating the "Get Involved" box on our home page. This internship emphasizes learning the tools of the trade in communications, public relations, and community outreach. You will gain experience in researching and qualifying public interest partners and prospects, preparing a presentation and "closing" an outreach opportunity, managing media relations databases, integrating communications with other nonprofit operations, and learning the leading progressive organizations in key issue areas.

Desired Skill Set:

• Interest in pursuing a career in publishing and/or nonprofit organizations
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Strong writing, verbal, and interpersonal social skills
• Knowledge of or strong interest in the Internet and the new media, and excellent online research skills
• Previous volunteer or internship experience a plus
• Grace under pressure, courage and humor, flexibility and self-direction
• Excellent self-starter with the ability to work effectively alone or in a team environment

Benefits:

• Interns receive a $150/month travel stipend (taxed)
• Interns receive a 5-day vacation allowance
• Mother Jones and its parent organization, the Foundation for National Progress, are committed to building and maintaining a diverse and welcoming workplace. Therefore, to help facilitate the ability of all applicants to participate in this program, in addition to the travel stipend of $150/month, for those that qualify a scholarship stipend has been developed to offset the cost of living, up to $700/month (taxed). Download the scholarship application as a pdf.

Fellowships:

Interns who distinguish themselves during their 4-month internship are eligible to become fellows (subject to funding availability); application for this promotion requires submission of a fellowship project proposal for review and approval by Mother Jones staff. The fellowship requires an additional 4- to 8-month commitment. In return, fellows receive a $1,380/month stipend (taxed). Fellows continue their intern duties while also being responsible for design, implementation, and completion of a fellowship project.

To apply, please submit the following:

• application form (download as a pdf)
• résumé and cover letter explaining why you are interested in a Mother Jones activism & outreach internship
• a writing sample

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; however, internships typically begin during the first week of February, June, and October. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please mail to:

Emma Logan
Director of Human Resources
222 Sutter St, Ste 600
San Francisco, CA 94108

You can submit your cover letter and résumé in plain text format via our contact page.

No phone calls please.
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Marketing & Sales Intern

As part of the advertising team, you will help Mother Jones support itself as an independent nonprofit media enterprise. You will learn how a nonprofit independent media organization operates—marketing, promotion, advertising, and outreach—and will garner valuable work experience that will help you build your career in publishing, activism, or the nonprofit community. Interns should have a strong interest in the workings of an independent nonprofit media enterprise.

Duties will be organized around the publication cycle of Mother Jones magazine and motherjones.com, and may include event marketing and coordination, research, circulation support, database administration, updating the online media kit and newsletters, and various other projects. This internship emphasizes learning the way an advertising department works as well as ways to increase magazine circulation through traditional outlets and face-to-face contact at events. You will gain experience in event planning and facilitation, presentation development, Internet data mining, database management, basic HTML, knowledge of magazine circulation, and a grasp of the similarities and differences between nonprofit and for-profit advertising.

Desired Skill Set:

• Interest in pursuing a career in publishing and/or nonprofit organizations
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Basic HTML experience a plus
• Strong writing, verbal, and interpersonal social skills
• Previous volunteer or internship experience a plus
• Grace under pressure, courage and humor, flexibility and self-direction
• Excellent self-starter with the ability to work effectively alone or in a team environment

Benefits:

• Interns receive a $150/month travel stipend (taxed)
• Interns receive a 5-day vacation allowance
• Mother Jones and its parent organization, the Foundation for National Progress, are committed to building and maintaining a diverse and welcoming workplace. Therefore, to help facilitate the ability of all applicants to participate in this program, in addition to the travel stipend of $150/month, for those that qualify a scholarship stipend has been developed to offset the cost of living, up to $700/month (taxed).

Download the scholarship application as a pdf.

Fellowships:

Interns who distinguish themselves during their 4-month internship are eligible to become fellows (subject to funding availability); application for this promotion requires submission of a fellowship project proposal for review and approval by Mother Jones staff. The fellowship requires an additional 4- to 8-month commitment. In return, fellows receive a $1,380/month stipend (taxed). Fellows continue their intern duties while also being responsible for design, implementation, and completion of a fellowship project.

To apply, please submit the following:

• application form (download as a pdf)
• résumé and cover letter explaining why you are interested in a Mother Jones advertising & marketing internship
• a writing sample

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; however, internships typically begin during the first week of February, June, and October.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please mail to:

Emma Logan
Director of Human Resources
222 Sutter St, Ste 600
San Francisco, CA 94108

You can submit your cover letter and résumé in plain text format via our contact page.

No phone calls please.
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