Scoop News Group Editorial Internship—Washington, D.C.
Scoop News Group’s four publications, FedScoop, StateScoop, CyberScoop and EdScoop work to merge technology, policy and journalism all into one cohesive platform. Each focuses on their own audience and market of industry readers, politicians and everyday civilians interested in technology. FedScoop covers issues pertaining to the federal government while StateScoop sticks closer to home and focuses on state and local government. CyberScoop covers the darker side of technology by tackling cybersecurity issues and hackings. Finally, EdScoop goes to the classroom and covers educational technology topics. Which one do you hear calling your name?
What It’s Actually Like
Working at Scoop is a tech-junkie’s dream. You work alongside dedicated journalists, tech enthusiasts, a wicked good sales staff and detail-oriented event coordinators. This diversity will introduce you to the different employment opportunities in the communication field and technology.
Cool Stuff You Get To Do
As a Scoop News intern, you won’t just make coffee runs. Interns typically write a few articles each week that get published on one of their four platforms. Writing each article typically begins by contacting either a tech leader or a politician. Then, interns conduct their own interviews and take notes for their story. After writing an article, the story goes live and interns promote their stories on social media.
“Interns on our federal publication can be talking to and writing about the White House one day, and attending a briefing on Capitol Hill or at the Pentagon the next,” said Jake Williams, Manager of Strategic Initiatives at StateScoop. Does that sound exciting or what? “On our other publications, interns get the chance to report on real initiatives underway across the country in things like cybersecurity and from high-profile offices like state governors and private sector leaders.”
What You’ll Learn
One thing you’ll definitely learn at Scoop? How to ask questions. Many of the issues you’ll tackle are rooted in intense technology jargon. Part of your job means being willing to speak up when you don’t understand what’s being discussed and ask for an explanation from your interviewee. You’ll also learn how to take complex issues and make them understandable to an audience who might not always understand the concepts.
Beyond that, you’ll learn how to write for a specialized audience as well as how to write for up to four different editors at once. “I wanted to write: Scoop let me write. I wanted to learn about social media analytics: My supervisor took the time to sit down with me and explain everything I wanted to know,” said former intern Keely Quinlan.
How To Prepare For Your Application
Get as much writing experience under your belt as possible. Also, make sure you have great in-person and on-the-phone communication skills. Sometimes you’ll need to hold multiple phone calls or interviews each day. Having a strong presence on the phone will impress those who look over your resume and those you interview.
However, don’t fret over your resume itself. “I actually don’t look at resumes if I can help it. I mean, if you’re only encountering folks that way, then you have to, so when I do, I look for folks with relevant experience and characteristics that could apply to the work that we do on a daily basis. Also extra points if you can somehow incorporate character, comedy or your personality in a resume. That always makes me give it a second glance,” said Williams.
Skills That Impress Them
You need a strong background in writing for this position. Since you’ll be writing about complex issues, strong writing skills will help you explain these topics to your audience. Staying informed about technology will also help you write articles for any of the four platforms. Finally, asking questions will not only impress your award-winning coworkers, but also the government officials you’ll interview.
Cool Perks
If you’re lucky enough to land this internship, you’ll work in what is possibly the coolest office in Washington, D.C. The office itself sits in the heart of the city, just a few minutes from the White House. Inside you’ll find isolated, comfy rooms for making phone calls, huge televisions for watching your daily dose of news and even a full kitchen. If you intern in the fall, you might even be invited to attend FedTalks where you’ll meet tech leaders and politicians. Past speakers include NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers, CEO of HPE Meg Whitman and the Founder of the Huffington Post Arianna Huffington.
The Deets
- Times can be negotiable but their work days go from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
- Possible stipend included
- Apply here: scoopnewsgroup.com under the “Careers” tab
Ready to start your career journey by nailing that summer internship? Check out four steps that make it easy here.
