Journalism
Report it. Then take the edit.
You find a story, chase it, interview the people in it and file it on deadline. An editor reads every line and tells you what works and what doesn’t.
The real briefs
Three briefs from past and partner work.
Examples, written the way you’d receive them. Your cohort’s briefs come from [PARTNER TYPES].
Local feature, 900 words
Find a story in your own community that nobody has covered yet. Interview at least three people. File a draft, take the edit, file again.
Explainer for a general reader
Take a dense local policy and explain it in plain words. Every claim gets a source, and the editor checks them.
Audio interview, 8 minutes
Book, record and cut an interview with someone whose work most people never see.
What the assignment is like
Step 2 of applying.
A sample outline. The real brief arrives by email after you apply.
- The brief[BRIEF]
- You send backA 400-word pitch and the five questions you’d ask first.
- Time[X] days, about 2–3 hours of work
- FormatPDF, DOCX or a link
- How it’s readAgainst a short rubric: clarity, effort and honesty. People make the close calls.
Note · [BRIEF] placeholders. Nancy writes the real briefs.
Who it suits
Be honest with yourself here.
It suits you if
- You like talking to strangers, even when it’s awkward.
- You can take a heavy edit without taking it personally.
- You care whether something is true before whether it’s interesting.
It probably doesn’t if
- You want to write opinion, not report.
- You need a fixed schedule. Sources don’t keep one.
- You’d rather not have your name on public work.
What you’ll find out in this track
The questions Journalism answers about you.
How you handle a source who won’t talk
Whether you push, wait or find another way in.
How close your first draft really is
An editor’s marks show you the distance between draft and done.
How you work on a deadline
What you cut, what you keep and when you start.
How you take an edit
Whether you argue, absorb or ask. All three can be right.