Journalism 2.0

Just posted on the Serra Media site:

There’s never been a better time for innovation in journalism, digital content and community. If that’s your thing and you need a gig this summer, we want to hear from you.

Serra Media is looking for some fresh perspectives and top-notch talent to boost our mission. You will help us build interactive digital platforms that local publishers, independent journalism start-ups and university journalism programs use as part of our new internship program.

But we’re taking a different approach to finding interns. Instead of a
specific, rigid framework of duties, tasks, hours and pay that you try
to ply yourself into, we’re inviting you to make a pitch on the
assignment as if you were an entrepreneur. (Because you are.)

These are paid positions, but the amount we pay and the number of hours you work per week are flexible. So, instead of applications for a set position and fixed number of hours, we’re looking for pitches from people who are interested in working with us to develop our ideas and see their own brought to market, no matter their situation.

If all this sounds unconventional and unlike anything you’ve ever applied to before, that’s OK. Welcome to the new world of entrepreneurial journalism. The bottom line is:

• There are amazing young journalists, programmers and Web developers out there.
• Serra Media is developing ground-breaking tools and technology for local news and community Web sites
• We think it would be great if some of this new talent could contribute to Serra Media’s projects.

You can earn course credit for the assignment, if needed. You can also work remotely if you don’t happen to live in the Seattle area. (Why waste money on relocation costs?) But the top three benefits of scoring a Serra Media internship are:

1. You will learn a lot about the new media landscape
2. You will do work that matters
3. Your efforts will produce demonstrable results for local new Web sites that you can brag about in your next job interview.

To apply, send us an email pitch of 300-500 words with links to your
blog or examples of your work and tell us which type of position you
are most interested in. Your choices:

Community cultivator: Grow a meaningful, constructive community of Web users through outreach, participation and creativity.

Programming wiz: Develop software-as-a-service that helps local news Web sites innovate, grow traffic, increase interactivity and make more money.

Your pitch must also include the following:

• Date you can start
• Number of weeks you can serve (ideally between 6-12)
• Number of hours per week you want to work
• Amount of pay you need per week to make it interesting

Send email to: ideas@serramedia.com. Deadline: May 22, 2009.