Internship program 2023 application guide

The week-long program (8 to 12 May 2023) is a valuable opportunity to engage with media industry leaders, to build a greater understanding of the media, and produce an edition of the largest circulating Catholic print publication in the country.

Applications for this year’s program close 5 pm on Friday, 17 March 2021. All documents will be submitted via the online form provided. 
 
Cover letter
This should take the form of a solicited letter.
Follow the format for writing a business letter.
It is the type of letter that would accompany a resume and portfolio when applying for a position.
 
Reference

This formal letter should be in business letter format and include:
·      The relationship of the referee to the candidate. 
·      A brief description of the referee’s background.
·      How long the reference has known the candidate. 
·      Positive personal qualities, including specific examples. 
·      A statement of recommendation. 
·      The referee's contact information.
 
Precis
A precis is a concise summary of a book, article, or other text; an abstract. 
 
Your summary should be entertaining and/or informative, in the tone of the original article. It should be written in a journalistic vernacular. It does not have to re-create the wheel.
 
A good method to follow in writing would be to highlight or underline the main points in the original article, and transfer these to a table with three columns: Main point, supporting points, and quotes. 
 
Use these notes to write your precis.
 
Interview and justification
Journalists use interviews to gather information. Interviews are conducted for many reasons, including gathering information, sharing information, and revealing an interviewee’s state of mind. 
 
There are many types of interviews, including hard news, information, investigation adversarial, interpretive, vox pop and multiple, personal, emotional, and entertainment.
 
Interviews can be conducted in person in front of a camera or recording device, over the phone, or online. Always as permission before recording an interview, even for personal use. Recording someone without their knowledge is illegal. 
 
Use the best of the information gleaned from the interview to provide information and a description to your story. An interview is integrated into a story to provide evidence, express a point of view, or add colour.
 
How to submit a video or audio file
Set up a folder of Google docs and share it with [email protected]. Include the link to the shared folder in the written document that you submit via jot form with instructions for us on how to reach it and the web address. Find instructions from Google here. 

Information session video
In this video, Australian Catholics editor Michele Frankeni and associate editor Laura Kings discuss the competition requirements and give an overview of what judges are looking for.