Diversity in news: DCF Journalism Internship Program is now accepting applications

While one in every 2.5 Delawareans is Black, Latinx or Asian, Black and brown representation in most Delaware newsrooms is far lower. That can lead to skewed reporting on communities of color, including biased or otherizing stories.

The Delaware Community Fund is working to diversify Delaware newsrooms to better reflect the communities they serve via its DCF Journalism Internship Program for aspiring journalists who identify as BIPOC. Applications for these paid, full-time summer 2022 positions are now open through Nov. 15.  

Prospective applicants, who should be current college students, are encouraged to attend a free Oct. 13 workshop led by Dawn Fallik, Jacqueline Jones and Adrianne Flynn on what makes a compelling application and what students need to know before applying for a journalism internship. The workshop is hosted by the Maryland Delaware DC Press Association, which is handling the application process for DCF.

The DCF Journalism Internship Program was piloted in 2021 with a grant from the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund. The internship embedded college students as reporting interns in Delaware news outlets to focus on the impact of the pandemic on the hardest-hit Black and brown communities.

The first four interns — Docquan Louallen at The News Journal, Xiomara Moore at Delaware State News, Johnny Perez-Gonzalez at WHYY and Kayla Williams at Delaware Public Media — produced 24 stories that elevated the voices of Black and brown Delawareans. (Technical.ly was an auxiliary member of the program and republished a number of the 2021 interns’ stories.) After the successful pilot, DCF, the Local Journalism Initiative and other partners are funding it for the summer of 2022.