Are you ready for a challenging experience that will change the way you approach life and put your writing or design skills to the test? If so, the Molokai Dispatch post-grad internship might be the job for you. Here at the Dispatch, we work closely with a politically active and largely Native Hawaiian community to produce news content, inspire new ideas, and serve as a voice of the island.

You’ve paid thousands of dollars to build an educational foundation in journalism. A Dispatch internship is an opportunity to continue that investment. Your contributions will likely be featured on our front page within a few weeks of your internship. You will also build professional connections throughout the Hawaiian Islands boosting your visibility and marketability for your future endeavors.

Check out the Molokai Dispatch commercial, created by local filmmaker Matt Yamashita.

Journalism Internships
Reporting in a small community demands accountability and fairness and requires sensitivity, humility and integrity. Molokai is a place where people approach you on the street to thank you for a story well-written or let you know you misspelled their name. We seek interns who hold themselves to a high standard of journalism and approach the profession with idealism – the work you do has a direct and tangible affect on the Molokai community.

You will be expected to write four to six stories per week and take photos to accompany them. You’ll have the opportunity to meet with a range of people from local fishermen to U.S. politicians. It will be your responsibility to cover the island’s issues, from school meetings to law suits to environmental concerns. A Dispatch reporter does it all, and with humility, too.

Layout Artist
You will be responsible for working closely with clients to design ads, as well as with our editor and reporters to lay out content. We will be relying on your creative problem-solving ability to make content fit while keeping the paper at a high aesthetic standard. You will also be tasked with creating layouts for posters, flyers, business cards and brochures. Some of these tasks fall outside of the services offered by the Dispatch; these jobs are usually offered to our layout artist as freelance projects.

Applying
Dispatch internships are in high demand – we sift through 40 to 60 applications for every opening – so if you choose to apply, you’ll need to put your game face on. We value thoughtful and original cover letters, good credentials, and personalities that fit with the Molokai spirit. We have several internship openings per year which are always posted on JournalismJobs.com – check there before contacting us.

Intern Benefits
While you won’t make the kind of money to start a savings account, there are many other benefits to being a Molokai Dispatch intern. You will gain a cultural education that is as rich as it is unique. As your name becomes associated with the quality content being produced for the Dispatch, the community will take notice. Our interns also have have opportunities to contribute to Hawaii Public Radio, local TV stations, and various off-island publications.

This is an unpaid internship, but you will be given a weekly stipend of $40, which covers some food expenses. Housing, utilities and on-island transportation are also provided.  As a Dispatch intern, you will have your own room in a house shared with other interns. A car and bicycle are also available for shared use. Gas expenses for work are covered by the Dispatch.

By the time your internship is up, you will have a better working knowledge of layout, design, journalism and photography. You will have experience working with a close knit team to which you are an integral part. You will be knowledgeable on many aspects of the Hawaiian culture, and have a better understanding about why Molokai is such a unique place.

And yes, miles of empty beaches and an endless supply of fresh mangos and coconuts are another perk of the job.

About the Dispatch
The Molokai Dispatch, in print since 1985, is the oldest and only paper in print on Molokai (yes, there were three at one time). The Dispatch is operated on the belief that media can inspire positive change an empowerment within small communities. This is why you’ll find news in the Molokai Dispatch that focuses on youth, culture, history, leadership and community voice – the foundation of a healthy community.

The Dispatch serves as the voice of the island by gathering and disseminating information, inspiring new ideas, and encouraging dialogue for the empowerment and action of community.  While the Dispatch is a “hyper-local” small town, independent paper, we also embrace electronic media. We run a thriving website (TheMolokaiDispatch.com), and update our Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts regularly for our faithful followers.

About Molokai
Only 38 miles long and 10 miles wide, with a population of just over 7,000, Molokai boasts neither a building taller than a palm tree nor a single traffic light. The island has remained isolated from the tourism stampede that’s taken over much of Hawaii, thanks to the fiercely protective and politically active residents of the island. It is one of the most culturally rich islands left in Hawaii, with a largely native Hawaiian population. For a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific, there’s a lot going on. Molokai has become a hot- bed for sustainable agriculture, politics and Hawaiian culture.