2026 Summer Reporting Intern - Burlington, VT
About The Position
Join us in a great summertime city as a reporting intern with the Burlington Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. We’re hosting a full-time, paid 10-week internship this summer for a college student or recent graduate. You’ll be treated as a staff member in our small Vermont newsroom, working closely with an editor as you cut your teeth on local journalism. We’re especially interested in people who can bring journalistic sensibilities to the vertical video format. If you’re ambitious and resourceful, you’ll get the chance to rack up clips of all kinds and grow as a storyteller with on-the-ground reporting skills. And if you’ve got a particular beat or project in mind, we can talk about how to best put your talents and interests to work. The people in our newsroom care about craft, and you can expect to learn how to write in a way that prizes accuracy, brevity, clarity and flair. We also want you to walk away a more discerning consumer of information you see online, read in a group chat or hear at a holiday dinner table. You’ll get a stage to develop and showcase your skills in a state that values local news (and is one of the best outdoors destinations around). This is an in-person role in Burlington, but schedules are often hybrid. Burlington is really more like a big town. (We’ve only got 45,000 residents, after all.) It’s the economic and cultural capital of Vermont with a longstanding arts and music scene, acclaimed restaurants and craft breweries and easy access to the Green Mountains and Adirondacks across Lake Champlain. Outdoor recreation abounds here: bike paths, ski resorts, hiking trails, lakes. The University of Vermont and its medical center, two of the state’s largest employers, are based in the city. Burlington’s role as Vermont’s population hub — and its urban feel in a mostly rural state — gives it great potential for a curious journalist. What you’ll do: Report and write hard news and features in Burlington and across Vermont Gain hands-on experience with both in-depth and quick-turn coverage Produce vertical videos that bring journalistic rigor to an increasingly dominant format Learn about journalistic ethics, news values, interviewing and putting together cohesive stories Get experience with headline writing, SEO, records requests and deadlines Use real-time metrics to respond to user demand and reader interest. Hear from experienced journalists about developing sources, finding stories and more
Requirements
- Enrolled in or recently graduated from college with a relevant field of study
- Curiosity, creativity, a good sense of judgment and an eagerness to think critically about the work we do
- Strong writing, research and fact-checking skills
- Previous reporting experience is valuable but not absolutely required
- Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
- Candidates should have facility with AI and automation and experience in using it to enhance their journalism
Responsibilities
- Write 3-4 stories per week (or more, if you really want to run)
- Put together vertical videos as standalone stories or to supplement articles
- Be a curious, assertive, and self-starting journalist.
- Report from the field, interview people and capture events with an eye for detail
- Go beyond press releases to research and gather information
- Collaborate in brainstorming sessions with fellow reporters and editors
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
Education Level
No Education Listed
