PublicSource recruits interns for the fall, spring and summer semesters. Our internship positions are paid. Visit the jobs page to see if the call for applications is open now. If you have any questions about our internship program, please reach out to managing editor Rich Lord at rich@publicsource.org.

Danielle Cruz — Editorial, spring 2021

PublicSource experience: Like with many new things, when I started my internship at PublicSource, I was definitely excited but also nervous. I was going to start reporting on a community that I had never been to and join a team of reporters that for the entire time I would only see through a computer screen.

But from the very first day I started my internship I felt like I was part of the PublicSource team. From the weekly team meetings to the mentor I was paired with during my internship, there was always someone that I was able to bounce my ideas off of or run my pitches by. I was able to get help from the other reporters as I got to know more about the community as well as help the other reporters on the team with their own projects and really felt like I was contributing to the work being published.

I was able to connect with people in the community and learn some of the ins and outs of how the city and county government works. Along with working on my own projects, as an intern, I also worked every week on their breaking news desk, helped cover the state of the coronavirus in Allegheny County and Pennsylvania, update their many data sheets and learned how to comb through documents for the information I needed.

I was able to learn and grow as a reporter and get an even better understanding of what it truly means to be part of a new organization that prioritizes public-service reporting.

Punya Bhasin — Editorial, spring 2021

PublicSource experience: If you want to report, write, fact-check and collaborate with other skilled reporters, this is the internship for you. I started this internship as a reporter, relatively new to the field of journalism and reporting, and after this internship, I have gained the confidence to further my career in journalism and seek out even more opportunities to report as a journalist. Throughout the internship, the staff at PublicSource was always ready and eager to help you with anything, as well as give career advice and teach you more about topics and beats of interest. This internship taught me key skills such as learning the Right-to-Know law, interviewing skills and learning how to find stories to report. This is a great internship that I would recommend to any individual who is looking to gain insight into the field of journalism and build upon their skills as a reporter. The atmosphere is fun and collaborative, and you will gain an extensive amount of knowledge as well as be introduced to a talented and supportive group of reporters.

Amanda Su — Editorial, fall 2020

PublicSource experience: I had no idea what to expect from my internship at PublicSource. How was I supposed to report on a city where I had never been and a community to which I was a stranger? But the moment my internship began, these worries immediately disappeared. Through my reporting at PublicSource and with the guidance of my editors, I became instantly embedded within networks of Allegheny County residents, organizers and public officials. I covered COVID-wrought barriers to voting for long-term care facility residents, hampered government participation in the online environment, and the limits to Allegheny County’s behavioral health crisis services. PublicSource’s focus on enterprising reporting and public-service journalism—what drew me to this internship—challenged me to research deeply and source widely, and to pursue novel, community-centered angles for news threads with a sense of urgency. When I wasn’t working on my own stories, I was helping other PublicSource reporters with theirs, and in the process, found a welcoming community of new colleagues, mentors and friends. I learned how to rigorously fact-check articles, dig through documents, sift through data and even work on innovative audience engagement projects. No matter what I do next, I know I will carry the lessons and skills I learned during my time at PublicSource with me.

Evan Bowen-Gaddy — Editorial, summer 2017

PublicSource experience: If you want to learn what it takes to make a compelling and true piece of longform journalism, PublicSource is the place to be. As an intern, I was given the freedom to pursue a real and voluminous investigative story about something I cared about. This was an opportunity I didn’t expect—lots of internships will stick you with the busy work no one wants to do, so you can “pay your due.” This wasn’t the case at PublicSource. In the four months I spent there, I learned what it was like to be a real reporter. I had sources run from my questions, I ran into dead-ends in investigations, I got conflicting information and by the end, I learned how to surmount all of that with the help of the staff. No one in the office will hold your hand, but they will be honest and they will answer your questions and by the time you leave, you’ll be a better reporter.

Maia Ervin — Editorial, spring 2017

PublicSource experience: Initially, I was so scared to work at PublicSource. I always knew I wanted to write articles and try to get people’s voices heard. However, I never actually had the opportunity to be a journalist until PublicSource. Although it was my first time working for a newsroom, PublicSource made me feel so comfortable. The work environment didn’t make me feel like an intern, but just another part of the team working on a project. During my time at PublicSource, my writing improved tremendously and I even found a new passion: marketing/public relations. Although I worked mostly as an editorial intern, my time at PublicSource helped hone my writing skills for the career I am currently pursuing post undergrad. Ultimately, it was my time here that showed me the path I wanted to follow working with clients to help market their dreams.

Stephen Caruso — Editorial, spring 2017

PublicSource experience: Now covering Pennsylvania state government in Harrisburg, I’m a year out of school and still look back on my time at PublicSource as one of the best five months as a reporter. Interning while a senior at Pitt, I found a newsroom full of new coworkers I still talk to as professionals and friends. I also wasn’t just tasked with grunt work like rewriting press releases. PublicSource threw me in to covering lead in Pittsburgh’s water, where I worked with a team of reporters to explore how Pittsburgh’s government was addressing the lead crisis — and who was at risk from what the city wasn’t doing. Working at PublicSource made my writing sharper and my reporting more incisive. To this day, I still draw on lessons from my time there.

Roman Benty — Marketing, summer 2016

PublicSource experience: While at PublicSource, I learned a lot about nonprofit organizations and the impact they can have on local neighborhoods. I got to build real connections, expand partnerships with different organizations and plan community gatherings around important causes. Organizing an event that tied directly to a series of articles was a novel experience for me. I think it is this sort of innovation in community engagement that sets PublicSource apart from other nonprofits and most certainly differentiates the organization from other news outlets in the area.

Elizabeth Lepro — Editorial, spring 2016

PublicSource experience: At PublicSource, I learned the basics of investigative journalism and was able to work independently on projects that interested me. But I also got to learn from journalists who have specific talents and areas of expertise — even if it was sometimes just by watching them work. Informational sessions and one-on-one chats with the reporters taught us intense fact-checking, data journalism skills and how to scope out information we needed. This is seriously work you’ll be proud of.

Christine Manganas — Editorial, fall 2015

PublicSource experience: This internship took me beyond writing 750-word, to-the-point news articles, but instead showed me how to take an issue and dig deeper. Here I learned to research, report and write a story on issues that readers truly cared about.

Stephanie Roman — Editorial, fall 2015

PublicSource experience: What I feel was really great about interning for PublicSource was that I received a lot of hands-on experience and one-on-one instruction. With a small team, you guys are really able to combine your efforts and put together awesome stuff. Whether it was going out on interviews with Jeff, helping Natasha shoot videos for the site, going over data and fact checking with Eric or getting advised and encouraged about story pitches from Halle, I never felt like what I was doing was wasted or unnecessary.

Elaina Zachos — Editorial, 2015

PublicSource experience: The journalists at PublicSource are extremely dedicated and willing to help interns. I got the chance to write an enterprise piece for PublicSource’s project on Millennials, and that article has definitely helped me further my path. After the internship, I studied journalism and Arabic in Morocco, and went on to intern at National Geographic through a program run by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Interning at PublicSource also helped with my application and acceptance to the Fulbright Berlin Capital Program during which I learned about the media landscape in Europe.