Commonweal Internship Program

Commonweal is now accepting intern applications for the fall 2023 term.

Since its founding in 1924, Commonweal has served as a bridge between the intellectual and active lives of lay Catholics who seek meaning and justice, inspiring people in their hopes for a more inclusive future for our church, politics, and culture. As the magazine marks its ninety-ninth year of publication, an intern will assist staff in furthering Commonweal’s mission as an independent, lay-edited, Catholic journal as it moves into the next century of its history.

Commonweal’s internships are open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as young writers, journalists, theologians, and political commentators. All interns have opportunities to participate in Commonweal’s editorial, marketing, development, and digital work.

Our offices are located at 475 Riverside Dr. Room 244 in New York City near Columbia University, and the schedule for fall interns is flexible. It can be part-time or remote, depending on the candidate’s availability. Start and end dates are flexible. This is a paid internship at $15/hour.

For the fall 2023 term, Commonweal is offering an internship opportunity for the archival editorial track.
 

ARCHIVAL EDITORIAL INTERN

The archival editorial intern will have the opportunity to work with Commonweal’s Special Projects Editor on researching Commonweal’s 100-year archive and repurposing archival content for use across multiple platforms, including the magazine, the website, email newsletters, and the podcast. This role also provides the opportunity to proofread and copy-edit stories and articles for the magazine and website, assist with general publishing and editorial tasks, to write original content in print and online, and to participate in Commonweal’s social-media efforts.

Potential Responsibilities

  • Proofreading, copyediting, fact-checking
  • Writing original content (including reviews, essays, commentary)
  • Preparing content for publication using an online content management system (CMS)
  • Assisting in planning and production of The Commonweal Podcast
  • Creating social media copy for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
  • Researching, reading, and tagging archival content
  • Proposing archival pieces to be repurposed in new Commonweal content—as a basis for podcast conversations, newsletter features, and more

Education, Knowledge & Skills

  • An in-progress or completed degree in journalism, English, creative writing, communications, theology, religious studies or a related field is required
  • A willingness to learn social media platforms for marketing purposes
  • Excellent communication skills, including copyediting and proofreading
  • Ability to help oversee multiple projects and assignments in collaboration with a variety of coworkers
  • Familiarity with and interest in issues affecting Catholics and the Catholic Church, and with issues of religion, politics, and culture in general

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit the following materials to [email protected]: a cover letter explaining your interest in Commonweal and our internship program, resumé, and two writing samples. Individual writing samples should not exceed 3,500 words, and one should be under 1,500 words. The application deadline for fall 2023 is Monday, September 11.