Let's face it--in some media organizations, an internship is a polite term to describe a gofer's role. The intern goes for pizza, answers the phones, goes for Big Macs, rips the wires, tags along while the "real" reporters do the exciting things journalists do, like gather information, interview sources, write stories, do live shots, see their bylines.
In the PAR program, interns are real reporters. They spend six months in the Illinois Statehouse as full-fledged, albeit junior, members of the bureaus to which they're assigned. They gather information, interview sources, write stories, do live shots, see their bylines, just like everyone else in the Springfield press corps.What's more, they do their reporting and writing under the watchful eye of a professional journalist who serves as coach, mentor, parent figure, and excellent reference for future job prospects. Indeed, many of the bureau chiefs and other members of the Springfield press corps are themselves products of the PAR program, and so have a special empathy with the students.
With talent, determination and hard work, PAR interns become valuable members of their bureaus, providing an extra reporter to help the bureau chief do a better job of covering state government during one of the most hectic and exciting times imaginable-- the spring session of the Illinois General Assembly.
The program currently offers 20 internships, 12 print and eight broadcast. Print interns have worked for the Statehouse bureaus of the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Associated Press, Arlington Heights Daily Herald, Lee Enterprises, Copley News Service, Rockford Register Star, Springfield State Journal-Register, Small Newspaper Group, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and Illinois Issues magazine.
Broadcast interns have worked for WICS-TV, Springfield; WAND-TV, Decatur; WCFN-TV, Springfield; WUIS-Illinois Public Radio, the Illinois Radio Network, Metro Networks, and WTAX-AM in Springfield.
Although the internships begin in January, the selection process occurs late in the fall semester, generally just before Thanksgiving. The procedure is simple: all the print students interview with the available print bureaus, and all the broadcast students interview with the available broadcast bureaus. Then each student lists his or her bureau choices in 1, 2, 3, etc. order, and gives the list to the program director. Each bureau chief does likewise, and the program director matches the lists to make the assignments.