Mexico City Internship Program

The Internship is an opportunity for a student to spend the summer in an unpaid internship with the Mexico City bureau of Newsweek International. The student will have the opportunity to help manage the bureau’s day-to-day affairs, conduct interviews, attend press conferences, conduct research into current issues in Mexican politics and assist the bureau chief in writing stories. The intern will be expected to work during standard business hours, but will have many opportunities to travel and experience life in Mexico City. The experience will provide exposure to the process of international news production and a strong understanding of Mexican political dynamics.

The 2006 internship will be of particular importance because Mexico will hold federal and state elections on July 2. With multiple strong candidates currently in the running for president, the election could prove a pivotal moment in the history of the republic.

Much of the success of the internship depends upon the intern’s ability to be self-sufficient and to create opportunities for him or herself. Mexico City is a vibrant metropolis, and there will always be more news stories than Newsweek has the space to cover. However, it is a polluted, overcrowded, and sprawling city, and interns will need to be able to deal with the stress of spending months in its urban heart (affordable housing can be arranged in the central historic district, which necessitates a 30-minute commute by subway to the bureau).

Applicants should be familiar with Mexican politics (a background in history is particularly helpful), though a great deal will be learned on the job, such as the specific jargon of local and federal politics. They should be reasonably fluent in Spanish speaking, listening and reading comprehension; although the intern is responsible for reading all the five local dailies that arrive in the bureau, the text is not exactly high literature. A background in journalism is helpful. Also, all Newsweek articles will be in English, though the intern may occasionally need to write letters and emails in Spanish. The internship is typically a full-summer commitment (10-14 weeks). The intern will be eligible to receive funding through the Alumni-Sponsored Fellowships administered by the Office of Career Counseling.

Email Alan for more informationor to obtain an application.

Past Mexico City interns

• 2004: Alan Cordova ‘06 Articles
• 2005: Nick Carter ‘07 Articles