The AAJA-SPJ Emerging Northwest Journalists Internship, sponsored in partnership with the Society of Professional Journalists Oregon Pro Chapter, is intended to provide opportunities for members of racial and ethnic minority groups that are underrepresented in Pacific Northwest newsrooms.
Applicants must:
- Be a college sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student majoring in journalism or a related field, or aspire to a career in journalism.
- Live in or attend school in Oregon or southwest Washington. Those who previously lived in Oregon or southwest Washington also will be considered.
Selected interns will spend 10 weeks between May 1 and Oct. 1, 2026, working full time in a professional newsroom. They will be provided with a staff mentor for the duration of the internship. Selected interns will be paid $20 an hour. There is also a $1,000 stipend to defray housing and relocation costs.
Lee Enterprises will host the 2026 AAJA-SPJ Emerging Northwest Journalists Internship at the Albany Democrat-Herald and the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
Applications are now closed for the 2026 internship.
Questions? Email us at aaja.pdx@gmail.com.
Testimonials
This opportunity allowed me to maximize my creativity in a professional setting while making valuable industry connections. In just three months, I feel that I have improved drastically as a storyteller and couldn’t have envisioned a more productive internship.
Matthew Park
2021 intern at KGW-TV
Despite being remote, my internship this summer at The Oregonian was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had as a journalist. I’ve been able to write some extremely impactful stories about COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests in Portland during my time here, and the entire staff has been nothing but supportive. I’m so grateful for AAJA, SPJ, and The Oregonian for providing me with an internship I’ll speak about for years to come.
Celina Tebor
2020 intern at The Oregonian/OregonLive
This internship has blessed me with the opportunity to be part of an inclusive, professional newsroom where I get to hone my craft as a journalist daily. Hearing my voice on public radio has been a goal of mine for a long time — to have that now be a reality is truly surreal. I’m eternally grateful to AAJA-Portland, SPJ Oregon Territory Chapter and Oregon Public Broadcasting for continuing to elevate diverse voices like mine, and giving me the opportunity to grow as a journalist — I hope to pay it forward someday. Thank you!
Donald Orr
2019 intern at Oregon Public Broadcasting
My internship with AAJA, in partnership with the Statesman Journal, gifted me with some of the most eye-opening and extraordinary real-world experience in a newsroom fresh out of college. Making a significant impact in the newsroom and the community was humbling, but it strengthened my drive to contribute more as a journalist. Writing stories about economic development, education, breaking news, and more, while traveling around the county amplifying people’s voices, helped me realize the importance of the work I do. There was no greater joy than being the catalyst for sparking conversations within the community and receiving emails from everyday people thanking me for my coverage.
Alexander Banks
2024 intern at the Statesman Journal
AAJA Portland 