Have a passion for the digital space, social media channels and finding ways to share great local content with online users? If so, The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Calif., is looking for you.
We have an immediate opening for a digital producer intern. You’ll help generate content, edit and share trending stories for pressdemocrat.com and be part of the team identifying stories that will resonate and drive digital subscriptions and page views. You’ll report to our Digital Content Editor but work with other digital producers, our companywide Audience Team, newsroom editors, reporters and visual journalists. This is a hybrid position that requires some on-site work, so candidates should live within driving distance of our Santa Rosa office.The mission is quite simple: How can we win more subscribers and grow traffic?
About you: You’ll have excellent news judgment, a natural curiosity, sharp command of AP style, an understanding of audience analytics and the ability to chase, write and edit stories quickly and effectively. You can work at either our fast-paced (and sparkling new!) newsroom in downtown Santa Rosa or from your remote space. We’re collaborative, creative and obsessed with connecting with current readers and new subscribers. We’re interested in candidates with passion and a proven track record for digital producing. You can be a college student, a recent graduate or a victim of an unexpected layoff determined to get back into the business. You’re also eager to learn more. We have an experienced, award-winning staff committed to your growth and development.
About us: The Press Democrat is the largest news organization between San Francisco and the Oregon border. We have a proud tradition of aggressively covering breaking news and delivering high-end enterprise reporting, with an emphasis on strong beat coverage and public service reporting. In fact, we were the winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news, further indication that we swarm news as it happens. We are debt-free and owned by local investors who purchased The Press Democrat a decade ago from a hedge fund to save and expand local journalism. We are not handcuffed by the demands of Wall Street and are committed to serving readers and communities of the North Bay.
Our desire is to be the best news organization of our size in the country -- and that can only happen with the recruitment AND retention of highly talented journalists.
Santa Rosa is 65 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Sonoma County, the heart of California’s Wine Country. It’s a beautiful place where vineyards give way to redwood forests and a scenic Pacific Ocean coastline. The region, home to 650,000 people, is an international destination for tourists and produces some of the country’s best wine, food and beer.
Responsibilities Include:

• Conduct online research for stories.
• Conduct interviews for stories.
• Create galleries with well written and sometimes humorous captions.
• Occasionally shoot and edit videos.
• Research and write stories for blog posts.
• Write and edit newsletters.
• Post social media updates.

Here are qualifications for the position:

• Previous experience working for a media organization.
• Strong writing skills.
• Editing experience.
• Multimedia skills and knowledge.
• Photography/video experience is a plus.
• College education focused on journalism or the media.
• WordPress experience.
• Social media experience: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, TikTok, etc.

Any job offer is conditional upon completion of a pre-employment background investigation. This internship requires a valid California driver’s license, proof of insurance and reliable transportation.The starting pay rate is $17.50 - $20 per hour, depending on education and experience.
So, are you the ideal candidate? To be considered, apply on our career page.
Sonoma Media Investments is an Equal Opportunity EmployerSMI Diversity & Inclusion StatementThe primary duty of a media company, at its core, is to seek out and tell the truth through its journalism. At the same time, we must maintain a company culture that is inclusive and free of discrimination of any kind. We at Sonoma Media Investments, LLC, acknowledge the difficult truth that over the course of our long history, we have not always been consistent or effective in fulfilling another duty, to protect and defend those who are trivialized, disregarded, sidelined or treated unfairly in our community, and within our own company. We at SMI are committed to creating and maintaining a company culture that is actively antiracist and scrupulously inclusive within our company’s work environment, and in how we report on and engage with the community we serve, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, national origin, faith, age, ability or size. We pledge to promote equality and humane treatment of others, and to oppose prejudice, indifference, sexism, intolerance and hate. This we will do through our hiring, promotion and retention practices, through our advertising programs and customer service, and through our news coverage and community engagement.