Summer Internships at the Post

Do you want the scoop on summer internships in The Post's newsroom? Here's your chance to chat about the program with Vice President at Large and former Executive Editor Len Downie, who was among the first interns at The Post. Details about how the 12-week program works and how to apply can be found here.

As the Nov. 1 application deadline nears, Downie was online Monday, October 6 at Noon ET to help potential applicants better understand the program, the highly competitive selection process and working in The Post's newsroom.

A transcript follows.

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Len Downie: Hello. I'm Len Downie, former Washington Post summer intern (1964) and, now, former executive editor of the newspaper. Our intern program remains very imnportant to us and is still the source of new hires in our newsroom. It is a competitive program, in which we have chosen about 20 interns each summer from hundreds of applicants.

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College Park, Md.: How many interns will be hired for summer? Also, will those interns be working at the paper as well as the Web site?

Len Downie: Although we haven't finished our budget for next year, we've usually had about 20 in the newspaper newsroom. There have been other interns at our web site newsroom, which we will be gradually integrating with our print newsroom next year.

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Washington, D.C.: Are interns paid?

Len Downie: Our summer interns are paid beginning reporters' salaries for the weeks they are here.

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Fairfax, Va.: I understand you were once upon a time an intern. Did you ever believe back then that you'd be around for as long as you have and would have reached the position you held? It sounds like the company was big on promoting from withink, at least in your case. Would you agree? And if so, is the company still this way?

Len Downie: I was fortunate to be an intern in 1964 when our newsroom was rapidly expanding, and I was hired at the end of the summer. We still hire several interns at the end of most summers, depending, of course, on their performance. I had no idea at the age of 22 what the arc of my career would be here, but we do believe in promoting from within whenever possible and generally rewarding good work.

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Washington, D.C.: Can a student with a disability apply for The Post's minorty scholarship program?

Len Downie: It is a summer internship program open to all applicants, not a minority scholarship program.

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New Brunswick, N.J.: What does a stand-out application look like?

Len Downie: A stand-out applicant these days is able to show us good work in scholastic journalism and/or good work at previous summer internships, plus a well-written personal essay, good recommendations and a solid academic record. (Reading this, I realize I probably wouldn't make it now.)

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College Park, Md.: Do you take more of specific majors (ie journalism, English, etc.) or are all encouraged to apply?

Len Downie: All are encouraged to apply. Journalism major is not as important as journalistic accomplishment and experience. In fact, we're more likely to notice other academic strengths like foreign language ability or expertise in a subject we cover heavily (such as business and finance these days).

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Anonymous: How about summer opportunities in The Post legal department?

Len Downie: Our legal department sometimes selects an intern of their own outside this newsroom program.

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Langley Park, Md.: Were you not a star academic student when you applied back in '64? How rigid are your academic standards?

Len Downie: We want smart, capable people, as demonstrated by their work, as well as their academic record.

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Trenton, N.J.: Mr. Downie, thanks for doing this. What is it you're looking for in the autobiographical essay? Should we focus on our work experience, or is the selection committee looking for more of an idea of our personalities?

Len Downie: We want some insight into who you are and why you want to be a journalist, particularly at this time of change in the news media.

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Austin, Tex.: Do you worry about young people who are trying to get started in journalism today? Not a lot of jobs, and not much prospect of improvement.

Len Downie: Talented, self-confident jouranlists with multi-media skills can definitely find jobs and advance, despite, or perhaps because of, the turmoil in the news media. Those leaving the profession are older journalists.

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Washington, D.C.: Do recruiters at The Washington Post mostly like essays that are cute and anecdotal or straight to the point? Also, which matters most: the cover letter or the essay? I've heard that the cover letter can sometimes make or break you.

Len Downie: We want to see how well you think and express yourself -- and how serious you are about what we do. That can take many forms. There's no formula.

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Washington, D.C.: Will housing be provided to interns selected for the program? If I am applying for a position as a reporter, what type of writing are you looking for?

Len Downie: On housing, you find it yourself. On writing, we're looking for journalists who can report deeply and express themselves clearly in ways that will attract readers in print and on-line. Multi-media skills can help.

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Arlington, Va.: I'm a student at Georgetown. Say I put my blog on hold and apply for an internship with The Post next summer? How do I know you'll still exist?

Len Downie: We will still exist for a very long time. We are simply evolving with changes in audience, technology and economics. Out home circulation is quite steady right now and our web audience is going through the roof.

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Washington, D.C.: What do you deem a "good academic record" in regards to GPA? Is it a 2.5 or more like a 3.5?

Len Downie: We don't pay close attention to numerical GPA. We tend to look at strengths and weaknesses in transcripts. We p;ay more attention to examples of your work and your references.

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Virginia: Why is it highly competitive selection process? Aren't those who are non-Ivy League being discriminated againt?

Len Downie: You're talking to "Land Grant Downie," BA and MA from The Ohio State University. As in all our hiring, we are seeking diversity of all kinds in our intern program.

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N.J.: Will you take College juniors (going into senior year)?

Len Downie: Yes. And seniors and grad students, too.

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Baltimore, Md.: Can an intern request a certain section to work for at The Post or is that up to the management?

Len Downie: We make the final decision. But we want to know what section you'd rather work for and what subjects you most want to cover.

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Hartford, Conn.: What is a typical Post intern like? Would you consider older interns with publications in other fields?

Len Downie: There is no typical intern. We look for talent and diversity. We have had a few somewhat older interns (later 20s) who went to graduate schools like Columbia or Berkeley to prepare to be journalists or to improve their skills if they've already worked a few years. It is not, however, a program for experienced journalists seeking to be hired at the Post. They must compete with other applicants for full-time jobs.

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Washington, D.C.: Are interns sworn to a pledge not to reveal what they have learned at the paper, so as not to give away any inside secrets or is this just an old-fashioned belief?

Len Downie: What secrets?

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Houston, Tex.: In the review process, do you contact previous internships? If so, will one slippery internship experience overshadow four great ones?

Len Downie: We seek letters of recommendations from pervious interships and they do matter to us. We also believe in growth so explain to us why something may have gone wrong at a previous internship.

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Chantilly, Va.: Can you name some other Post writers who have been interns?

Len Downie: There are dozens of them, including Deputy Editorial Page Editor Jackson Diehl, editorial writer and columnist Ruth Marcus, sports columnist Michael Wilbon, many senior editors and many Pulitzer Prize winners like Sari Horwitz and Dana Priest.

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Washington, D.C.: I'd like to ask some advice from an experienced journalist such as yourself. I am a print journalism major and will graduate in May. I have done five journalism internships. But I have minor in graphic design. The original thought was that designing the paper would be my fallback if I ever became tired of reporting. But the industry has been changing and I'm now thinking the minor will give me a leg-up in the newsroom. Now, the question: should I try to get a design internship before or after I graduate to demonstrate to recruiters that I can do design?

Len Downie: Being multi-faceted like that is a big advnatage these days. Depending on your design skills, you might want to try that.

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Washington, D.C.: Off-topic a bit: What do you think about the decrease in the paper's circulation and the uptick in the Web site's readers? Will the Web win out? Are the newspaper's days numbered?

Len Downie: I believe we'll have both print and web readership for some time to come. And we're acting on that assumption here.

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Alexandria, Va.: Mr. Downie, Thank you for taking my question. I graduated with a Journalism dagree in '04, and like most college grads, I graduated with a sizable student loan. Thus I took the first job I was offered, which unfortunately wasn't in Journalism or a journalism-related field.

I have regretted it ever since. I'd like to get back into the mix, but am unsure as to how to get my foot in the door. Should I go back and get my Masters?

Len Downie: Hate to add to your debt, but a master's is probably a good idea. Many journalism master's programs seek people swwitiching professions who cfan demonstrate journalism skills.

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Alexandria, Va.: So is it best to get a Master's degree and not just stop at a BA or BS, in order to work for a newspaper like The Post?

Len Downie: No. Most people we hired have only bachelor's degrees. What matters most are your journalistic skills and what you've already produced.

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Washington, DC: First, Mr. Downie, I thank The Post for opperating on the assumption that print will be around. I, too, believe the print edition will survive. But, I'd like to ask a follow-up to the previous experience question. What if the "slippery internship" was the last of the four?

Len Downie: Explain to us in the application what happened.

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Bethesda, Md.: How many people wind up applying for summer internships? I want to know how many people I'm up against.

Len Downie: Usually, several hundred. The competition is good for you.

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Bethesda, Md.: I was a photo intern back in '73 or '76 -- a long time ago, in any case. It was one of the best experiences in shaping my career today. I learned so much from the legendary photographers of that era. I almost didn't apply because of the fierce competition even back then. I was a good student photojournalist but had pretty average grades. I was so shocked to receive a call from the Post's Elsie Carper telling me I had been chosen. Photographer Bill Snead told me later that I was picked because I already lived in the D.C. area so they wouldn't have to give me street directions to assignments. I thought he was kidding at the time, but now I'm not so sure! Anyway, good luck to you new applicants and remember this -- The Post internships actually PAY real union wages! Most D.C. internships pay nothing, but I know the short experience to work in the newsroom is the best payment you'll ever get.

Len Downie: Thanks for the testimonial.

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Washington, D.C.: Will there be more cutbacks at The Post? There's a lot of news to cover out there. Do you have enough bodies to do a good job of the demand?

Len Downie: We have to continue re-organizing our staff so that can maintain our coverage and its quality with fewer people. But we still have a relatively large staff and still hire when needed.

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Washington, D.C.: How could an intern possibly be placed in your Mexico City bureau? I spent a semester there last year working on my language skills and would really like to go back to improve them even more.

Len Downie: We do not have interns in our foreign bureaus; the work is too demanding. Our foreign correspondents are chosen from experience Washington Post journalists.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: How do you see the merging of newsrooms happening? Will the merger affect news coverage? Will the two mediums work together well?

Len Downie: The two newsrooms already work quite closely together on coverage of many subjects, especially politics and sports. Their physical integration will simply continue that evolution. It will steadly improve multi-media coverage.

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Len Downie: Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope you apply to our summer internship program. Len Downie

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