About the role
WUSF Public Media is looking for several college students ready to work in a professional newsroom during the Spring 2027 semester. We’re looking for people with a passion for the headlines and for bringing news to the public radio audience. Our interns work closely with the WUSF News team of seasoned reporters learning how to research, write and produce stories for radio and online platforms. It’s a semester where students are treated like real journalists from the start, assigned stories that matter to millions of Tampa Bay area residents. It’s where they will discover how public media tries to serve its audience differently from commercial news organizations. And WUSF News interns will get a well-rounded dose of what it takes to succeed as a journalist - from deducing what stories to pursue, to gathering sound and writing stories that sing.
WUSF News Internships are considered mentorships, working with the news staff of WUSF Public Media. The internship duration is one semester and will begin shortly after the start of the semester.
WUSF News interns are paid for their work.
During the spring semester, these are one, two, three, and four day a week opportunities.
The applicant must be a student who is interested in journalism and in learning more about researching, writing and producing news for radio and digital platforms. The applicant should be a good writer, able to take constructive criticism during the editing process, and have some knowledge of public media’s unique reporting style and programming.
WUSF is seeking several interns for the spring semester. Please indicate in your cover letter which position(s) you are interested in and why.
Dates of Internship: January 19, 2027 to May 7, 2027. Orientation will take place at start of semester.
Average Number of Hours Per Week: 8 – 16 hours per week.
Schedule: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. one, two, three, four days a week (Monday-Friday). Radio News and Digital News internships must be 8 hour shifts.
Partial shifts will be available for Florida Matters, Bay Blend, and Visual News internships.
Hiring Salary/Salary Range: $15/hour
Spring internships (up to seven) include:
WUSF Rush Family Radio News Internship (one or two interns) – The Radio News internship is two days a week, 16 hours a week. Position will include researching assignments, conducting interviews, writing, producing, and voicing daily and in-depth news radio stories, and writing digital stories.
WUSF-USF Zimmerman Rush Family Radio News Internship (one intern) – The Zimmerman internship is one day a week, 8 hours a week. Position will include researching assignments, conducting interviews, writing and producing daily audio and digital stories. Students must be enrolled in the USF Zimmerman School.
WUSF Stephen Noble Digital News Internship (one intern) – The Digital News internship is two days a week, 16 hours a week. Position will include producing visual and audio material for WUSF social media sites, as well as reporting radio and digital stories that will drive web audience.
WUSF Rush Family Florida Matters Internship (one intern) – The Florida Matters internship is two-four days a week, 16 hours a week. Position will include researching potential show topics and guests, booking guests, screening calls, gathering and editing sound, pulling sound bites and writing and producing daily audio and digital stories.
WUSF Rush Family Bay Blend internship (one intern) – The Bay Blend internship is two-three days a week, 8-16 hours a week. Position will include writing, producing, and editing scripts and features, finding events targeting specific audiences, and helping with social media content.
WUSF Rush Family Visual News internship (one intern) – The Visual News internship is two-three days a week, 8-16 hours a week. Position will include producing, shooting, and editing still photos and video for online news stories and social media channels, either alongside reporters or independently, as well as shooting and editing still photos and video for WUSF visual library.
Minimum: These positions require a high school diploma, or equivalent, with one year of general office experience. Appropriate college course work or vocational/technical training may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience.
Preferred: The ideal candidate will be an active consumer of local and national news (including NPR) and should have knowledge of or has taken courses related to journalism, communications and/or public broadcasting. Experience reporting and writing for other publications, including student newspapers and stations, is a plus. The student must have a working vehicle and a current driver's license class E.
Standard Learning Objectives: As a result of this position, student will be able to:
Demonstrate basic employ ability skills such as: timeliness to work, appropriate dress, interpersonal communication, and time management
Receive and solicit feedback from supervisor and effectively apply feedback on the job
Assess workplace and demonstrate how personal talents, skills, and knowledge fit into the employer’s goals, mission, and vision
Demonstrate their professional brand (identity)
Communicate transferable and functional skills to prospective employer
In addition, students will gain experience by:
Accompanying reporters in the field
Learning how to use remote recording software and field recording equipment
Learning the use of professional studios and microphones and voice techniques
Learning story development and interview techniques
Writing and producing short news stories and in-depth pieces for air
Writing solid online news stories for WUSF.org
Actively contributing news content to WUSF social media platforms
Learning photo and video techniques
Contact Information for Questions about Recruitment: Mark Schreiner at mschreiner@wusf.org
The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and USF Health. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in the highest tier, placing it as one of the top 16 medical schools in the nation and inside the top 10 among public universities. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.