I don’t have experience. How do I even start?
We will train you! In our recruitment process you work one-on-one with our recruitment managers to learn reporting and news writing essentials. The first step is just to sign up, which you can do here.
What exactly does the recruitment process involve?
If you are interested in joining our newsroom, you will complete practice assignments that cover journalism basics and give you experience with interviews, research, AP style and more. All recruits start with basics, but you will focus your later projects to an area of our news coverage that mosts interests you depending on which desk you want to join: news, culture, eat & drink, sports or opinion, or multimedia.
From start to finish, recruitment usually takes people four to six weeks, but it is flexible and self-paced.
If you are interested in joining our creative agency, marketing, sales, business or communications departments, the recruitment process depends on team capacity and project load. When you submit your interest form, a department head will be in touch with you directly about current and future opportunities!
Do I have to be a specific major?
No. Our mission is to offer experience to any UGA student who wants it. Many of our successful alumni have come out of Grady, Terry, SPIA, Franklin and many others. Our only stipulation is that you are currently enrolled.
What if I have experience from high school or a college I transferred from?
Complete the recruitment interest form and a member of our team will contact you about the best place for you to start.
I want to join — but I hate writing! Is there something else I can do?
Yes. We train designers, photographers, videographers, social media editors, digital producers and more. You go through the basics to learn about news writing, AP style and journalism ethics, but then you can move into other areas of the newsroom.
My parents and friends say journalism is a dying field. Why should I sign up?
To them, we say: You’re wrong! While traditional newspapers don’t have the same revenue they used to, online news is growing. The Red & Black was one of the first student news organizations in the country to go digital-first and our online readership has grown exponentially over the past two years. You will learn hands-on skills that can help you get a job.
Our recent alums work at organizations including The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, CNN, The Charlotte Business Journal, Fortune, Moxie, UPS, The Home Depot and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
I’ve heard it takes a lot of time to be part of The Red & Black. How many hours a week do I have to put in?
It’s up to you. You can work at your own pace to best balance with your class schedule. For our non-newsroom roles, you are assigned hours based on your role, which range from five to 20 hours per week.
Could I get paid?
Newsroom paid positions include: editor, designer, photo or video editor, podcast editor, social media editor and newsletter editor. You will need at least a semester of experience as a contributor to be ready for one of these positions, which we call "desk editor" jobs and which require greater time commitments.
Contributing writer, photographer, graphic designer and videographer positions are not paid.
On the business side, there are both paid and unpaid positions available depending on experience. Paid roles include account executive, digital marketing manager, creative agency assistant, creative services assistant, business assistant and promotions roles. You also can apply for unpaid intern spots.
So, how do I get started?
Ready to get started? Complete this interest form, and we will be in touch with you to place you either in the newsroom or in the department of your choosing.
