For college journalists, a summer internship working beside seasoned reporters is second to none for skill development, said Susan Mehalick, Managing Editor for News at the Albany Times Union.
The problem for Mehalick and other editors? The number of internships they can offer has usually been zero. The budgets are no longer there. It’s punishing for newsrooms, students and local news’ future.
This summer, the Times Union hosted two interns from the State University of New York Institute for Local News — positions fully funded by the university system.
“Without SUNY ILN sponsoring interns we would not have had any interns this summer. The last time our newsroom budget was able to support interns was the summer of 2023; prior to that, even before the pandemic, it had been several years since we regularly had interns on our staff,” said Mehalick.
SUNY ILN launched in 2024 with 16 campuses active in local news support during the Fall and Spring semesters. This summer, SUNY ILN placed 20 summer interns in 15 newsrooms around New York. The newsrooms varied from legacy print large and small, to broadcast newsrooms, to non-profit startups. The SUNY investment of $80,000 for the internships created vital opportunities for the students as well as the newsrooms.
The once rich environment of summer newsroom internships has disappeared in the last decade or so as the publishing business has cratered. While an enormous setback for newsrooms of many sizes that relied on the summer talent influx, it’s crippling for college students as well as for the industry.
“The way to learn how to be a journalist is to practice journalism,” Mehalick said. “There is only so much someone can learn in a classroom.”
Rodrigo Feijao of the University at Buffalo spent his summer in Rochester with his hometown Democrat and Chronicle.
“Getting an internship locally was extremely important to me because I've wanted to be reporting for my home community for the longest time. Growing up, I had always noticed my neighbors having special mailboxes to receive print versions of the Democrat and Chronicle. So to be a part of it means a lot.”
Mehalick echoes editors around the state that the new SUNY program is a blessing in many ways.
“The media business thrives on youth and also multigenerational newsrooms,” said Mehalick. “Young people bring enthusiasm to their work which can be infectious in a newsroom, which is invaluable. For the interns, the experience of working alongside seasoned reporters and editors is second to none.”
For the students, they faced graduation without a chance for such a summer of professional immersion.
“This internship was huge for me,” said Grace Tran, a SUNY Oneonta senior, who did video production for an Albany community newsroom.
“I had been searching high and low for any media internship, big or small companies, but no luck. This opportunity came to me, and I jumped to work with a multimedia newsroom like Capital Region Independent Media. Working with mainly adults at this internship was a shock to me. During my time in Oneonta, I had worked in studio newsrooms with students and peers. But at this internship, I gained a lot of hands-on experience with professionals who have been in the business for decades. Those are skills you can’t learn anywhere else.”
Alexia Croll was graduating from SUNY Old Westbury without an internship until this new SUNY program emerged. She spent her summer with the Long Island Herald.
“This internship has strengthened my passion for journalism, particularly local news, and I will carry these lessons into the next chapter of my career. I am deeply grateful and honored to be apart of the first SUNY ILN cohort.”
SUNY ILN is an emerging program helping student learning and local news growth in Fall, Spring and Summer. It was launched with funding and organizing help from the Center for Community News at University of Vermont, along with a grant from the Lumina Foundation.
In the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters, 160 students at SUNY campuses from Buffalo to Long Island produced more than 360 stories for local news partners. The summer 2025 intern reporting created another 300+ stories.
SUNY plans to fund a second summer intern program in summer 2026.