CALmatters is looking for a summer data intern. Come join our small but growing data team as we cover California politics and policy, including the 2020 election.

Who We Are: CALmatters is a three year old nonprofit news organization with a staff of 22 dedicated to explaining the policy and politics of America’s biggest state. We produce vivid, original journalism and data-driven news analyses distributed to more than 170 media partners and on CALmatters.org. This past year we won an Online News Association and an EPPY award for our election guide. Our reporters routinely have bylines in major media outlets like the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, KPCC, and the Los Angeles Daily News.  In 2018 our explainer on California’s high housing costs won a first-place award from the Online News Association and we won an EPPY award for innovation for our Election Guide.

Is this paid? Yes. And full-time.

When is it, where is it, and do I have to be a student? The internship will run roughly from June through August, although we are flexible on exact dates. Ideally applicants will be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate coursework, but recently graduated applicants are encouraged to apply. We’d prefer interns work out of our Sacramento office, but we are open to remote arrangements.

What will I do?  You’ll contribute to several major data projects we have planned this summer, on issues ranging from climate change impact to the educational achievement gap. Interns’ work will depend on their skill set and interests, but interns will likely be asked to help with data collection and analysis, public records requests, statistical analysis, database construction and querying, programming, and creating some snazzy visualizations and interactives.

You’ll also have the opportunity to learn from a team of experienced journalists who are happy to teach. 

What skills are you looking for? The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated interest in utilizing data to explain complex policy and politics topics in an easily digestible way. Journalism students are encouraged to apply, as are students from other fields (graphic design, computer science, public policy, statistics). In your cover letter and resume please describe:

  • A list or description of what data analysis tools you’ve used and what programming languages you may know.
  • A list or description of what visualization tools you may be proficient with.
  • One or two data-intensive projects you’ve worked on and how you created them. Projects do not have to be journalistic.
  • Audio and video skills a plus!

Application Instructions: Please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]

At the end of your cover letter please attach links to specific projects/clippings you feel are relevant to the internship. No more than five links please. Deadline is April 8, 2019. 

CALmatters is committed to diversity and especially encourages members of underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities.

https://calmatters.org/jobs/data-journalism-summer-internship/