It’s that time of year: leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping and deadlines are coming up for 2026 journalism internships. One of North Carolina’s student journalists has had great success over the last year, securing both reporting internships and being selected for competitive national professional development programs. But it didn’t start that way.
“I got a lot of rejection letters my freshman year,” said NC Central Cheatham-White Scholar Ronni Butts. “And I said, you know what? It’s fine.”
Butts is now a junior and co-editor of the Campus Echo. She says she used the rejection letters as motivation and recognized that just the act of applying puts your name out there.
“[Hiring managers] may say, okay, Ronni applied to this several years ago, and she’s still at it. Let’s take another look at her application,” said Butts.
Whether you’re a student journalist looking at internships, an early career reporter looking to change roles, or a manager in charge of designing intern programs and hiring, this week’s Q&A will tackle questions you might be asking.
What actually moves someone from the “maybe” stack to “yes”? How can networking help you prepare for an interview? And what helps interns succeed once they’re hired?
Ronni shares highlights from her local and national internships and she offers tips for resumes and covers letters, using LinkedIn and how to prepare for interviews—guidance that’s helpful for people at any stage of their career.
Where did you find guidance in how to approach internships—which ones to apply for, what to put in your portfolio and how to stand out?
I really just thought, I understand where I am. I knew I didn’t have the greatest clips. I’m not the best journalist yet, but I knew that I wanted to cast a wide net. My freshman year, I applied to internships at The News & Observer, I applied at some policy centers and didn’t get any. I knew I needed to at least try the same thing again the following year and maybe I’d get a few more responses because I had more experience.
So I aimed high, applied for ABC and CNN and I made sure to aim for smaller environments where I’d be able to better connect with people. I had my sight set on The News & Observer because it was so local. I’m already generally aware of what goes on in the RDU area, but there’s also so many people that I know that are products of The News & Observer and have always spoken so highly of them.
It looks like you had a busy summer at The News & Observer. You had more than 20 bylines and wrote some of the Under the Dome newsletters. Tell us about this hands-on experience.
On my very first day I went to a UNC Board of Trustees meeting and asked Chancellor Lee Roberts a question. It’s like wow, okay, I’m really in here doing this. Later I started writing some of the Under the Dome newsletters and just having those experiences with the different styles of writing was super helpful. I was able to work closely with mentors and other staff and spin around in my chair and say “I’ve never done this before. Could you give me the rundown of what I’m supposed to do?”
But also it was super helpful because being so early in my career, there’s so many things that I could do in journalism. I could go into radio or broadcast or stay in print. Being able to have the different kinds of experiences helps me say, okay, maybe I would wanna pursue radio or maybe I need to work on my on air presence or delivering news verbally, which I learned from being on the Under the Dome podcast.
But if I wasn’t at a place like that, I don’t think I would’ve been able to have those opportunities. Getting tapped into state government reporting and reporting around the Triangle was a great way to get experience for some hard hitting news and also to connect with other really good reporters that are also in the same area as me.
Around the same time, you were a part of Politico’s Summer Journalism Institute. This opportunity was a bit different: could you share a bit about this program and what it offers to student journalists?
This was a two week long bootcamp where myself and about 17 or 18 other student journalists went to the Politico headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. We spoke to reporters from Politco, the Associated Press, Bloomberg and other large scale publications. They talked about their own beats, how to source within their beat, tips for starting off in reporting and how to move up the ranks in the industry. There were also sessions about addressing biases, how to use artificial intelligence, data journalism, White House reporting and environmental reporting. Meeting people from other publications and making connections was so valuable.
But one of the things that I would venture to say is the most important is that I was able to make such valuable connections to the members of my cohort. We always are bouncing off ideas and asking, “Did you see this happen?” Or “Did you see the way that this publication reported on this?” Being a leader of a news publication, now I’m constantly asking: “How do you all do this at your papers? What are some ways that you approach this?”
Being able to have that community and facilitate those connections has been so incredibly important. They’re so funny and nice as well, but they definitely help build you up as a student that will graduate and go into journalism.
You’re currently in another national program for student journalists: The New York Times Corps. What does this program provide?
The New York Times Corps is a mentorship program. My cohort is about 20 people and each person is assigned to a mentor, someone at the New York Times. My mentor is Zolan Kanno-Youngs, who is a White House correspondent. You meet with them throughout the year and we also have different sessions here we talk about ways that you can implement certain skills into your newsrooms. Just today, about an hour ago, we had a session about utilizing AI in the newsroom and what the New York Times is doing.
What kind of things do you talk to your mentor about?
I met with him back in September and we took some time to talk about what his experience has been like covering the White House considering the current political climate and how he’s been finding balance in doing his job. We’ve talked about his areas of expertise and how he developed those things. As someone that ultimately wants to be a White House correspondent, the pair up was perfect.
We also talked about my experiences and where I want to go, focusing on some things that I can begin working on that will help me stand out. So he’s given me some ideas of things to be planning, some long-term projects. And so when we meet back again, we’ll talk about some of those things.
You’ve been selected for some terrific opportunities, so let’s transition a bit and get some tips for others, whether they’re applying for internships or in the job market. You are an active user of LinkedIn. How do you use that platform and what makes a strong profile page?
I use LinkedIn a lot, maybe even too much, but I definitely make sure that my presence on LinkedIn is well representative of me professionally. I include things that I’ve done that I’m proud of, whether it be for school, a conference, or internship. I make sure to post frequently so that there’s always an update. I also make an effort to tag people in posts if they were involved in the thing that I’m doing and that often helps with traction and other people seeing what I’ve been up to.
Another thing I’ve been doing is using LinkedIn DMs as a mechanism of making connections with people, but also helping me prepare for opportunities.
When I applied to the New York Times Corps and I got the email back that I would be getting an interview, I DMed probably every person in the cohort before me and asked, “What was your interview like? How do you like the program? What’s some advice that you have?”
Almost all of them responded to me and they were very kind. I also did that for The News & Observer internship. That’s been super helpful in understanding and anticipating what kinds of questions people will ask during an interview.
Openings for internships and jobs often have dozens, even hundreds of candidates. What are some tips for preparing resumes and cover letters?
For cover letters in particular, I make sure that I’m using words that are used on the website or in the mission statement of the publication, just to make sure that what I want to do lines up with what the mission of the publication is.
I also edit my cover letter over and over again for brevity. I’ve revised my resume using what I learned at the Politico Summer Journalism Institute and made sure that bullet points are concise and it’s easy to read at first glance. And I have stories linked where I mentioned them.
In terms of picking out the stories that I submit, at the beginning, I had very few and was just picking the best ones. You ask for five, I’m giving you my top five. Now, fortunately, I have a little bit more so I’ve become more strategic in what I’m doing. I look for what really represents me the best and what shows my range. With the stories that I wrote for example at the News & Observer, I would choose how I followed a bill as well as a quick turnaround story, even providing annotations to those stories that I submit. One thing that I’ve been hearing is that news publications really value original reporting, so that’s something that I try to highlight as well.
Is it worth it to put together an online portfolio?
I would venture to say that it’s necessary, even when they say it’s optional. To me, nothing is optional. I made my portfolio with a website called Journo Portfolio, which is very easy to use, user friendly, and I think that it presents very well.
It’s great because when you look up my name, it’s the first thing that comes up and it shows all the things that I’ve been working on. So I would really encourage students to make sure you have a portfolio together where it clearly shows what you want them to see first. And link to your portfolio on LinkedIn as well.
Interviews can be intimidating. You’re meeting people for the first time. It’s often on Zoom. What has helped you prepare and feel like you performed well while also being your authentic self during the conversation?
It’s interesting because you do want to be authentic, but there is a level of preparation too. I spend a lot of time preparing for my interviews. Make sure you know the “Tell me about yourself” question. I usually am able to give my elevator pitch in 90 seconds or two minutes pretty easily.
Being able to talk to people on LinkedIn who’ve interviewed for the same roles, I was able to prepare for some of those same questions. I’ve also gone on YouTube or read articles about common questions that people ask including soft skills questions like, “Tell me about a time where you showed leadership.” I was able to make sure I had clear examples written down.
I go over my notes several times. Even before the interview, I glance at it. But once the interview starts, I really have to just make sure that I studied well enough, say a prayer and hope that I do well enough.
But staying authentic is one thing that I tell people to do as well. Remember the interview really is a conversation. Even though they are getting information from you, you want it to be two ways. I’ve made sure it was conversational, having questions I want to ask. You don’t have to be stiff. You can move around, you can laugh, you can smile. It sounds really simple, but when you get to an intimidating situation like an interview, you may be like, “Oh, I don’t really know what to do.” But just remembering those key things, this is a person just like you. You can be candid while also making sure that you have some of those key points nailed down in your head. Integrating those two things has been pretty beneficial to me.
What stands out to you as things that made these programs and internships a meaningful, valuable experience to you?
The News & Observer was really great at making interns feel welcome. They let us know upfront: if you have something to share, share it. If you have something to ask, please ask. You are part of the newsroom. You all can benefit us just as much as we can benefit you. They really wanted us to feel like an integrated part of the newsroom, which I felt a part of.
On the first day, I felt like I could throw out some ideas and my editor took me out to lunch that day and introduced me to some of the staff, so they did a really great job really making interns feel welcome. I think that when publications have that, it really helps interns not only feel comfortable, but feel comfortable enough to ask questions to further improve.
Any other tips or suggestions that you have for people applying for internships?
Cast a wide net, but don’t neglect local news. Don’t neglect the newsroom that’s right down the street. Oftentimes smaller may be better. You’re able to connect with people more and have diverse opportunities. So cast a wide net and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
Resources for applying for internships (and jobs!)
📅 McClatchy Internship Info Session: insight, tips and tricks on navigating news internship applications from the folks reviewing them. October 23, 27, 29 & 30.
🧭 Check out McClatchy Deputy Director of News Talent, Culture & Training Rhema Bland’s posts on applying for internships and pro-tips on what to do after the “no.”
📌 Follow Rebecca Aguilar on LinkedIn, who posts a monthly jobs board, including internships.
🛠️ Are you ready for internship application season? A rundown of info sessions and an internship calendar from Mandy Hofmockel.
