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Tag: interns

  • Work with us: The Charlotte Observer is looking for summer 2026 interns

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    The City of Charlotte, NC skyline.

    The City of Charlotte, NC skyline.


    Lila Turner

    lturner@charlotteobserver.com

    The Charlottte Observer is accepting applications for its 2026 summer internship program.

    We are looking for bright, ambitious journalists who will bring curiosity, energy and imagination to report on stories in Charlotte and surrounding communities.

    Our interns are a crucial part of our newsroom operation and are treated as professional, full-time employees from day one. Each will be assigned to teams working with editors and seasoned mentors to develop sources, report and write stories and shoot photos and video, while receiving the necessary coaching and training to help grow as journalists.

    The Charlotte Observer was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Breaking News in 2025 for our coverage with the News & Observer of Hurricane Helene and its aftermath in Western North Carolina. In the past, The Observer has won multiple Pulitizer Prizes, including two for public service and three for editorial cartoons.

    In addition, the Observer this year won 34 awards at the 2025 North Carolina Press Association banquet.

    The internship program

    • Internships are paid full-time for 10 weeks and typically start at the end of May or beginning of June.
    • Internships are in-person and are based in the Charlotte metro region.
    • Interns participate in regular training sessions offered by McClatchy Media and on-site at the Observer newsroom.
    • Our interns generally work in our newsroom from Monday to Thursday, with Friday acceptable as a hybrid in-market remote workday.

    We seek strong candidates to work as reporters, visual journalists and audience growth producers. Assignments have been on metro, politics, sports, business, features, photography/video and our audience growth teams. Please let us know if you have an assignment interest, or any specialized expertise, such as data reporting or audience/growth development.

    Qualifications

    The internship is open to rising or current sophomores, juniors and seniors and graduating seniors. Interns must be enrolled in a four-year degree program, graduate program or have recently graduated. Other qualifications:

    • A collaborative work ethic and a strong desire to learn.
    • Deep curiosity and a drive to find the truth.
    • Solid news judgment, accuracy, and high ethical standards.
    • Understanding of the professional use of social media in news-gathering and audience development.
    • A quick study of technology and tools used in news-gathering.
    • Experience working at a college publication, print or online, or another news outlet is required. Previous experience, in addition to a college publication, is preferred.
    • Bilingual skills are a plus.
    • A driver’s license and reliable transportation are required.

    The Charlotte Observer internship is competitive and we place a high premium on breaking news. Most of our interns land full-time jobs following their stint at The Observer, including some hired at McClatchy properties.

    Where the internship is located

    Your homebase is in Charlotte, but our coverage area spreads to communities in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, Lincoln and other counties, and across the South Carolina border to York County. With population of nearly 1 million, Charlotte is North Carolina’s largest city, with the region among the nation’s fastest growing metropolitian area with 2.8 million residents.

    Vibrant and diverse, Charlotte is the South’s banking capital, home to the Panthers, Hornets, NASCAR and Lake Norman. It has a robust restaurant scene, choice arts, museums, historic neighborhoods and other notable cultural outlets such as the Levine Center for the Arts, the Gantt Center, the Independent Picture House and live shows at Three Bone Theater that make Charlotte truly an exciting place to live.

    What is The Charlotte Observer application deadline?

    The deadline to apply is 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, but we strongly urge candidates to apply early and before the deadline.

    What should I include in the application?

    Candidates should apply at McClatchy’s online portal at mcclatchy.com/careers. Here is a link to the Observer application.

    • A single-page cover letter summarizing what you would bring as a journalist to our newsroom. 
    • A resume that includes links to your public social media accounts ( for example X, Instagram, TikTok)
    • At least three work samples, preferably in PDF format, or a link to a personal website or portfolio
    • Two references, which may be included on your resume or cover letter.

    If you are interested in applying for an internship with our sister publication, The Herald, click this link here. The Herald’s coverage area is just over the state border in York County, SC, but you’d be based out of Charlotte.

    For additional information contact Lisa Vernon Sparks, intern supervisor, at lvernonsparks@charlotteobserver.com

    The work of previous interns

    Our interns have done outstanding work. Below are links to some notable articles:

    This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

    Related Stories from Charlotte Observer

    Lisa Vernon Sparks

    The Charlotte Observer

    Lisa Vernon Sparks is the Race, Culture and Community Engagement Editor for The Charlotte Observer. Previously she was an Opinion Editor with the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. Her award-winning career has netted bylines in Virginia, Rhode Island, New Jersey and her native New York. She is an alumna of Columbia University in New York and Northeastern University in Boston.
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    Lisa Vernon Sparks

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | APA!’s New Pet Pals Program Is Creating the Next…

    Austin Pets Alive! | APA!’s New Pet Pals Program Is Creating the Next…

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    Mar 30, 2023

    Austin Pets Alive! has long been known for innovating, collaborating, and sharing our knowledge of how to save animals’ lives.

    But animal welfare is also about humans—the humans who love and own pets, and the humans who work in animal shelters. That’s why we are so thrilled to introduce Pet Pals, our brand new program for at-risk and vulnerable working-age youth to participate in an 8-week paid internship!

    The interns, who are between 16 and 21 years old, are learning the ins and outs of shelter management, and gaining the necessary skills and experience to work in animal sheltering—including at Austin Pets Alive!.

    Nine interns form our inaugural class. Starting on February 4, every Saturday they are meeting at APA!’s Town Lake Animal Center campus for four hours to explore the world of animal welfare and learn important professional skills.

    Each session includes a lesson and/or training, group discussion and activity, one-on-one mentoring, lunch and refreshments, and walking and playing with animals.

    The program also involves resume building, mock interviews, and “building up all those interview skills that a young person probably usually doesn’t have access to before they start looking for a job,” says Alexis Telfair-Garcia, APA!’s Social Work Program Development Manager—and one of the country’s very first social workers on staff at an animal shelter.

    “Pet Pals gives us and our community an urgently-needed opportunity to close the gap between human and animal services, and develop the next generation of animal welfare leaders,” Alexis says. “We hope, and expect, that this progress won’t stop in Austin, either—but that animal shelters in other communities will start Pet Pals programs of their own.”

    Social work students from the University of Texas and St. Edward’s University serve as mentors for the Pet Pals interns, along with Austin Pets Alive! volunteers.

    Dr. Ellen Jefferson, President and CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, says her excitement for Pet Pals is in part due to engaging the interns in the urgent work of saving the lives of cats and dogs—and it’s also about helping these young animal lovers realize their dreams.

    “One intern told us she’s planning to major in animal science to become a veterinarian, and believes this program can help her get there. Another said they were moved to participate by the death of a beloved dog, and wanting to save the lives of other animals in this pet’s honor,” she says.

    “Pet Pals will open doors and new paths for our interns, and change the lives of the cats and dogs who they touch with their work. We’re so proud to be part of the Pet Pals participants’ journey to do great things for people and pets.”

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