Student Jobs
The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center is a student-powered newsroom at The University of Southern Mississippi. We Report What Matters in Southeast Mississippi’s underserved communities — and train the next generation of journalists, fact-checkers and media innovators.
We offer paid, part-time positions and internships for high school, community college, university and graduate students. Roles give hands-on experience in reporting, audience engagement, visual production, fact-checking and public affairs. Some opportunities may qualify for course credit.
Hiring Periods
RHCJC holds three hiring events each year for part-time positions and internships.
We only accept applications during these windows, which align with our semester-based cohorts:
- Spring Cohort: mid-September – mid-October
- Summer Cohort: mid-February – mid-March
- Fall Cohort: TBD
If it’s not a hiring period, complete our interest form to be notified when the next session opens.
About Our Positions
RHCJC organizes all part-time roles and internships into semester-based cohorts — Spring, Summer and Fall — so students work alongside peers and mentors in a structured newsroom environment.
Once hired, you’ll join one of three teams, each focused on a different part of the center’s mission: producing stories, engaging audiences or fact-checking information.
Most student workers at the center work up to 20 hours per week (interns up to 19). USM internships are offered for class credit only. All paid roles earn $12 per hour, and applicants must be at least 16 years old at the time of hire.
USM positions:
CONTENT TEAM: Students on the content team create content for web, radio, broadcast and social platforms.
— Reporter – Researches, pitches and reports stories; conducts interviews; writes for web, audio and broadcast; assists with marketing.
Reporter Position – Available CLICK HERE TO APPLY
— Photographer/Videographer – Shoots and edits still images and video to support stories, podcasts and special projects.
— Podcast Producer/Host – Develops and records podcasts, coordinates guests and writes audio essays for publication.
ENGAGEMENT TEAM: The engagement team connects RHCJC’s journalism with the community, crafts the center’s messaging, and oversees marketing and outreach to promote the center and its content.
— Southeast Mississippi Planner Producer – Curates weekly civic information pages, summarizes public meetings and manages Planner publishing.
— Data & Insights Analyst – Tracks analytics across platforms, creates reports and recommends strategies to grow audiences.
— Visual Content Producer – Designs graphics, edits videos, manages social posts and tests new tools to boost reach.
— Digital Innovation Specialist – Maintains and enhances the center’s website, integrates new features and improves user experience.
— Public Affairs & Events Coordinator – Plans outreach campaigns, organizes events and supports community partnerships.
WHAT IS TRUE? FACT-CHECKING TEAM: This team investigates misinformation and helps the public understand how to verify claims.
— Researchers (Graduate Assistants) – Examine tips and online rumors, write clear fact-checks and contribute to media-literacy outreach.
— WIT Producer – Guides researchers, edits reports, maintains logs and creates multimedia explainers.
Non-USM positions:
— Internships (Content & Engagement Teams) – Available for non-USM undergraduate and postgraduate students from any university seeking professional newsroom experience. Each internship provides exposure to the roles within the selected team and includes a semester-long project due at completion. Interns typically work 19 hours per week for 12–14 weeks, earn $12 per hour, and may be eligible for class credit.
Non-USM Internship – Available APPLICATION LINK PENDING
— Content Specialists (High School & Community College) – Paid entry-level roles where younger students support research, reporting and multimedia while learning newsroom tools.
Content Position (Community College) – Available CLICK HERE TO APPLY