New startup needs witty education writers

Passing along this message from an NABJ member:

Hello all,

My name is Lawrence Ross and I'm about to launch a new Gawker like blog that covers education (goes live in about a month). I'm looking for writers who have a casual voice, understand both witty and snark, and can deliver short pieces (150-200 words) in a timely fashion. We're an aggregator, so we're updating the blog with education stories every fifteen minutes, so I need writers who can read stories, understand them, then translate them to our readers...with attitude. We're not interested in what you learned in journalism school (well sorta). We want writers who understand that we're covering education with multiple voices: sometimes gossipy, mostly irreverently, always smart...and 1/1000th of the time...serious.

And the best thing...there's no pay! Wait, I can feel the frowns on your face when you read that. Well, that's the reality. There's no pay, no promise of pay, nor will we commit to ever paying anyone. That said, we're going to do a number of things that you might not get elsewhere. One, where going to try to promote our best writers as much as possible. Two, we're going to get heavy hitter interview subjects for our best writers to interview. And along with pushing along stories like Gawker/Deadspin/

HuffingtonPost, we're also looking to break stories too. So if you're game, contact me. I'll ask for a writing sample based on a story I send you. Thanks!

--
Lawrence C. Ross, Jr.

alpha1906@gmail.com
The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities
Twitter: @alpha1906

Multimedia Internship — St. Louis Post Dispatch — DEADLINE FRIDAY

Hey NABJ family,

A professional member and former NABJ baby passed this link along to me earlier today and I'm sending it out over the listserv because the deadline is coming up THIS FRIDAY.

It's a multimedia internship at The St. Louis Post Dispatch. There is more info on the website (http://www.stltoday.com/pdf_ae19223a-45b9-11e0-90cc-00127992bc8b.html) , but here's what they want for the application.

To apply (please follow carefully):
• Provide a brief biographical cover letter
• A resume
• A link to your website, blog or links to your previous multimedia work (Sorry, no CDs or print portfolios will be accepted.)
• Contact information for three references (Your references should include the name, title and phone number of the person who supervised/trained you)

Application deadline: Must reach email address below by March 11, 2011. E-mail your application toSTLtodayrules@gmail.com

*** Seriously, all printed applications and portfolios will go straight into the recycling bin. This is an online position and you should have an updated online portfolio available.

More info is available at: http://www.stltoday.com/pdf_ae19223a-45b9-11e0-90cc-00127992bc8b.html

Hopefully an NABJ student will land this one,

Wesley Lowery

NABJ's Deputy Student Representative

216.536.3672

wes.j.lowery@gmail.com

www.wesleylowery.com

How to snag an NABJ internship/scholarship

By Benet Wilson aka Twitter.com/@NABJDigital

Dear Students:

As you know, the deadlines for NABJ's internship and scholarship programs is Friday, March 4. Many of you may be in the process of fine-tuning your applications, and I'd like to pass along some advice to ensure that you put your best foot forward to the judges in both programs.

1. Work samples - For print, please make sure you attach the number of samples requested in the application. And make sure you have either a link to a website where the story was printed or you have a clear PDF of the story. It's not enough to send an MS Word file of your stories. For broadcast, use You Tube for your reel. Make sure the reel isn't too long, and is a showcase of your best work. For radio, use a service like Cinch, SoundCloud or AudioBoo to showcase your work.

2. Cover letter - this is the document that sets up who you are and what you want to do. It's also the first impression judges get of you as a person. Use it to show off your talents and highlight your best work. A generic cover letter will NOT do.

3. Resume - Grammar errors and misspellings on a journalism resume are deadly. So look over your resume carefully and have at least one other person look at it too. And don't depend on spell check, because it misses key words. Give details on what you've done in an internship or related job. NABJ member Benet Wilson does FREE resume reviews. Take advantage of it. (benet@aviationqueen.com).

4. References - when submitting references, make sure you give the full name, title, company and contact information. Make sure that you have a mix of professors familiar with your school work and at least one professional reference if you can.

5. Completed application form - Please complete the application. The boxes are there for a reason. You hurt yourself when you omit things like equipment, software and location.

6. Official college transcript - Please, PLEASE get your official transcript. The application asks for this, so an unofficial one just won't work.

7. Website - if you're having the judges link to a personal website, make sure it is ready for viewing. Personal photos should be professional-looking head shots, not personal or casual ones. See resume tips. If you have a Twitter feed or Facebook link on your website, please make sure your feeds are all professional. Potential employers do check.

These programs from NABJ are great opportunities to help you move forward in your careers. So take full advantage of this opportunity and use these tips to put your best foot forward. Good luck to you all!

Benet Wilson
Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation
Aviation Week Group