New Scientist - USA (2020-07-18)

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2 | New Scientist | 18 July 2020

I am pleased to share with you that
New Scientist is now seeking applications
for the second iteration of our Diversity
Internship Programme, a positive action
scheme for aspiring journalists from black,
Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
At New Scientist, we believe very strongly
that science is for everyone and that its power
to enrich and inform our lives is universal. But
science journalism – as with all journalism –
remains largely the preserve of the privileged
few, with many barriers preventing a diverse
range of voices from entering the newsroom.
The goal of our internship is to remove
some of these barriers. Money is one of those,
so we pay the London Living Wage. We also
don’t ask that applicants have had any formal
journalistic training, as this is a personal
expense that many can’t afford. The only
requirements for applicants are that they
have a science, technology or computing
degree and a demonstrable interest
in writing or journalism.
Our selection process is carefully
designed to remove bias and
choose on the basis of merit alone.
That is why we don’t ask applicants
to submit a CV, which can be a
source of unconscious bias during
the hiring process. Instead, we ask
for a short statement explaining an
applicant’s suitability for the programme, and for
a writing sample in the style of a New Scientist
article. To further eliminate bias, these are both
marked blind – with no names attached –
by two different people and according to a
rigid scoring system, allowing little room for
personal judgement. Further selection rounds
involve an anonymised reporting test, which is
also marked blind according to standard criteria.
It is a process that worked well last year.
Our first three interns enjoyed an intensive
six-month programme of on-the-job training
based on our news desk, with placements across
the company as a whole. From covering our live
events on social media and assisting in video
shoots to writing for all sections of the magazine,
they participated in every aspect of New Scientist.
Each intern left with a portfolio of published
work, and you will still see their names – Gege Li,
Layal Liverpool and Jason Arunn Murugesu –
regularly on our pages.
The deadline for applications for this second
roll-out of the scheme is 31 July, and more details
can be found online at newscientist.com/intern.

A note from
our news editor

Penny Sarchet
News editor

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