The Dallas Morning News is offering a one-year fellowship on our Editorial Board for an early career journalist interested in opinion writing and working as part of a collaborative team devoted to constructive solutions, fair debate and diverse viewpoints.
Joining the opinion team is an exciting opportunity for a journalist interested in how major media organizations develop perspective and voice. It is a highly cooperative area of journalism that combines fundamental journalism skills, especially reporting and writing, with debating ideas and wrestling with important social and political questions.
We are looking for a recent graduate interested in supporting our editorial board’s commitment to the spread of democratic values, fundamental human rights and free markets. The respectful debate of policies and ideas is critical to a democratic society, and we are a platform for those debates. As an editorial page, we weigh in on issues of local, state and national importance while publishing a variety of views from other voices.
Opinion fellows get the chance to explore a wide spectrum of topics as members of the paper’s award-winning editorial board. It’s possible to spend the morning pitching an idea on how City Hall can do its job better and the afternoon meeting with a dignitary from a foreign country. Our guests range from city and state leaders to White House officials and foreign diplomats.
Many early-career journalists who have interned for our Opinion department have gone on to work in newsrooms around the country with a solid grounding in local, state and federal government coverage. Others have left us to pursue careers in law, nonprofit work and other important fields.
The primary responsibility for the opinion fellow is to research, pitch and write at least two editorials a week that touch on important news of the day and that reflect the editorial board’s positions. Candidates should familiarize themselves with the board’s positions and feel confident that they could write similar editorials.
As a member of the Opinion department, our fellow also is encouraged to explore his or her voice through signed columns with the guidance of experienced editors. Past interns chose subjects and themes that resonated with them deeply, such as finding connection in a religious community. These columns are important opportunities for the right candidate to develop their writing and learn more about the personal essay or the persuasive argument.
Texas is always in the news. Dallas and its suburbs offer plenty of material for enterprising editorial interns to mine for ideas.
Applicants should send no more than eight writing clips or links. Share work that showcases your original reporting, whether news writing or opinion.
Also include 200 words on why opinion writing is important to you and what topics interest you and why.
A cover letter and résumé with references are required with all applications.
