Two talented student journalists from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have been selected as part of the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation’s 2021 summer internship program. 

The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation (ANF) has a commitment to serve Arkansas newspapers by helping fund summer interns at Arkansas Press Association member newspapers across the state. The internships provide students with real-world journalism experience while newspapers obtain a qualified candidate to fill a temporary position.

The UA Little Rock students selected for the ANF internship program include Chloe McGehee of Bryant and Remington Miller of Little Rock.

A graduate of Bryant High School, McGehee is majoring in mass communication and minoring in political science. She served as the executive editor of The Forum, UA Little Rock’s student newspaper, and president of UA Little Rock’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She has won a number of awards from the Arkansas Scholastic Press and Arkansas Collegiate Media Association.

“I’m very thankful to receive the internship because I know I could not have done it without the help of my scholarship program, my previous editor, Jordan Woodson, and my advisor, professor, and friend Carlton Rhodes,” McGehee said. “Without them I would have never applied or had the skills to achieve it. I’m also incredibly excited to be doing what I love to do and want to work in for my career. It’s an invaluable experience and I do not take it for granted.”

After she graduates in 2023, McGehee wants to work as a journalist and get her master’s degree. She’s thankful for the experience she is gaining from her internship with the Daily Record.

“The paper and publisher I am working under, The Daily Record and Wesley Brown, are truly amazing, and I feel like I would not be having this amazing experience anywhere else,” she said. “He really allows me to shine where I can while always teaching me and making me more confident.”

Miller, the second UA Little Rock ANF summer internship recipient, is a graduate of Robinson High School in Little Rock and is a double major in mass communication and English. She’s a reporter for The Forum as well as a mass media research assistant for the UA Little Rock School of Mass Communication.

“I was so honored and surprised to receive the internship,” Miller said. “It is a great opportunity, and I am so eager for the real experience in the journalism field. I am really excited to look at the local news gathering process. I hope it allows me to start establishing contacts with possible mentors and create a better view on the news cycle in Arkansas, on the inside.”

After she graduates in 2022, Miller plans to work as an investigative reporter.

“I love working in print and online journalism so much. I have the UA Little Rock School of Mass Communication to thank,” Miller said. “I’ve got skills that I know will be useful with the internship. The professors have always been so supportive and willing to help me reach these internships and my career goals. I couldn’t do it without their support. Every journalism professor I’ve met has always been willing to help but my advisor and supervisor of The Forum, Professor Rhodes, has been really great about encouraging me to go for all these opportunities.”

Both students are interning at the Daily Record this summer. Publisher Wesley Brown said he welcomes the opportunity to help guide and train promising young journalists through the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation internship program.

“As a member of the Arkansas Press Association, we are excited to work with the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation to provide internships to outstanding students from colleges and universities across the state looking to enter the journalism field,” Brown said. “As a longtime journalist and industry advocate, I look forward to working with these budding journalists from UA Little Rock this summer so they can further their educational experience.”

The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides support, professional development, and educational opportunities to APA member newspapers. ANF has offered internships for more than two decades. This year, ANF will fully fund four full internships and two half-internships for student journalists.

The foundation is paying the internship costs to help Arkansas newspapers recover from the economic effects of COVID-19. In the past, newspapers participating in the internship program were expected to match ANF’s grant for a 10-week internship. Since last year, the ANF Board of Directors fully funded the internships for a total of $15,000 for the summer interns.

“It’s an obligation of the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation to support and promote newspapers in this state, so it was a simple decision to continue to fully fund this vital program,” said Rusty Fraser, ANF board president and publisher of the Stone County Leader in Mountain View. “These interns get a front-row seat in a professional newsroom and can help immediately in reporting on the communities our newspapers serve.”