PITTSBURGH — The newsroom at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is buzzing with the largest intern contingent ever for the summer of 2014 as thirty-five interns hailing from as far away as Hanoi (via Randolph College) have all gathered in Pittsburgh to take part in one of the most talked-about programs in journalism today.

Executive editor David Shribman and managing editor Susan Smith have made it a priority to open the 227 year-old newsroom to the best and brightest students pursing a career in journalism. They work alongside guild representative Dan Majors, who has shepherded the program to its current status and Rosa Colucci who just joined the team.

Interns are assigned a mentor who reaches out to them before they arrive. They are integrated into the newsroom from the very first day, assigned storiesand put on a beat of their choice. A few of them saw their own byline on A-1 the very next day.

Mentors work with closely with the interns and they go on assignments where they learn everything from how to cover OTA’s with the Steelers at St. Vincent College to covering a murder trial. Some have elected to work on editing and page design skills on the copy desk while a record of six interns are tackling the ever-evolving social media component of our business, working on the PG’s website while feeding content to various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and GooglePlus.

Other educational components include weekly learning sessions with veteran journalists from all departments who give a snapshot of their beat followed by a no-holes barred Q&A sessions. Outside of the newsroom, trips to Fallingwater and whitewater rafting to Ohiopyle show the region’s natural and national treasures while allowing for a great summer experience.

Written by Rosa Colucci, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette