Misinformation is one of the biggest challenges of 2019.
Fake news stories, false memes and conspiracy theories are rampant on nearly every social media platform. More than 150 fact-checkers around the world have dedicated themselves to fighting fakery in all its guises. Major news outlets and nonprofits are tracking misinformation trends to develop global solutions to the threat they pose to democracy.
That’s where you come in.
The Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network has officially launched a worldwide search for its first intern, who will work alongside journalists and editors in our nonprofit newsroom this summer in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida.
Are you an avid reader of fact-checking outlets like PolitiFact and The Washington Post Fact Checker? Do you get mad when you see your relatives sharing fake news on Facebook? Are you interested in helping journalists around the world tell fact from fiction online? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you should definitely apply.
The IFCN’s 10-week internship is a new summer program aimed at giving early-career journalists hands-on experience in a nonprofit newsroom. The intern will work with the IFCN’s reporter and two editors to publish stories about fact-checking and misinformation on Poynter.org — one of the most popular media news sites in the world. They’ll also assist in managing projects like our roundup of anti-misinformation actions and database of fact-checking research.
This year, we’ll choose one applicant to help us inform and instruct journalists around the world. The intern will have had several internships, an impressive clip file and a variety of different work experiences. He or she will feel just as comfortable calling sources in other countries as they would updating online databases. Knowing English and at least one other language is a huge plus.
The IFCN internship runs 10 weeks from June to August and pays $10,000. The intern will be based at Poynter’s headquarters in beautiful St. Petersburg — in the middle of a bustling coastal city and minutes away from some of the best beaches in the country.
The deadline to apply is midnight on March 30. Successful applicants will hear back in early April. If you have any questions about the internship, application process, the IFCN or Poynter in general, email dfunke@poynter.org.
UPDATE: This article has been updated with a revised deadline.
