L.A. Times reporter and MSU J-School alum Tony Briscoe explains how MSU J-School students who contribute to diversity can  get paid right now while gaining experience and improving their resume and portfolio.

And he explains how his reporting in Los Angeles and Chicago on the intersection of social justice  and the environment got him in on the hottest story around. See Tony here and read on for more information about how you can, too.

This MSU initiative to diversify student journalists who report on how social justice, racism and civil rights intersect with environmental challenges offers significant paid internships, scholarships and jobs for MSU J-School students who contribute to diversity.

It can lead to great jobs reporting on one of the hottest emerging beats in the newsroom. We’re accepting applications right now. The earlier you apply, the better your chances.  But hustle. The application period for two of the programs ends December 31, 2023.

We are building expertise with paid opportunities to cover environmental threats that particularly harm marginalized communities. We’re looking for MSU students who contribute to diversity to report on how environmental decisions threaten social justice, civil rights, the health and values of diverse communities. The expertise of journalists is their lived experience. When it is diverse, better reporting happens.

The program does not require environmental experience.

Right now we are soliciting candidates for two programs with a Dec. 31, 2023 deadline. Two more won’t be available until spring semester. The ones to act on immediately:

• Paid jobs reporting for the award-winning Great Lakes Echo news service. Gain reporting experience, training, a resume entry and clips published by major news providers.
• Three-credit scholarships for students to enroll in one of MSU’s environmental reporting classes (JRN 372 or JRN 472) in Spring 2024. Relieve the costs of three of your elective JRN graduation requirements. It is worth about $1,700.

Interested? Before December 31, 2023 send to MSU Knight Center Senior Associate Director David Poulson, poulsondavid@gmail.com:

• a resume.
• copies of or links to up to three stories you’ve produced for publication or class.
• contact information for one reference.
• about 250 words on how your background and lived experience brings diversity to environmental reporting. That could be your racial, cultural or ethnic background, your work experience, something else. You could suggest environmental story ideas or list activities and a background that indicate a particular interest in diversity.

While not required, landing one of these spots puts students who contribute to diversity in better contention for one of five paid summer internships in 2024: Bridge Michigan, Detroit Public Television, Michigan Public Radio, Circle of Blue and Planet Detroit. Stay tuned for more information about those.

Also: Students contributing to diversity can qualify for fully funded trips to the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference this spring in Philadelphia. Stay tuned on that one, too.

Questions? Contact David Poulson, poulsondavid@gmail.com.