Fox Sports Radio

Thank you for your interest in FOX Sports Radio.


You mentioned that you would be graduating in May. Unfortunately, since this is an unpaid internship, our company policy dictates that to participate proof of college credit from your institution must be provided. Please don't let this discourage you.....keep looking as there are other companies that will bring people aboard for the experience.


I wish you the best in all your future endeavors. Congratulations too on getting that diploma!


Sincerely,


Deborah Ahn
Fox Sports Radio Networks
Clear Channel Worldwide
Tel: xxx.xxx.xxxx
Fax: xxx.xxx.xxxx


You know that it's sad when you offer to work absolutely for free and they still say no... my life sucks. This is definitely a nice, personal letter though with a very quick turnaround time -- I only sent off the application last night!

Virginian-Pilot: There are also applicants who misspelled the name of our newspaper




from
Denise Bridges
to

date
Mon, Jan 26, 2009

subject
Thank you for your interest in our internship program



Hello,

Thank you very much for your letter, resume and clips supporting your interest in a summer internship at The Virginian-Pilot. We reviewed nearly 300 excellent packages. Narrowing down the choices has not been an easy task. We are now ready to move to the next phase of the selection process with candidates we believe are better suited for the needs of our newsroom. Your application will not be among them.

Many factors were considered, the top one being that we will not have as many interns this summer as we have in previous years. Some applicants had excellent academic credentials but their clips did not demonstrate the breadth of experience or skill we expected. Some students had not done much work for their campus publications, a requirement for our program, or had not had any previous internships. A few applicants had already graduated. In order to be eligible for this year’s summer program, students must currently be enrolled in college. There are also applicants who misspelled the name of our newspaper or had other errors that stood out as red flags.

Because we received so many applications, I am not in a position to give individual critiques about your work. While you were not one of those selected as a finalist, we appreciate your interest in our newspaper and the time you invested in the application process. If you’re still in school for another year, I’d encourage you to keep up the good efforts, and perhaps we’ll see your application next time.
You may still have time to apply for other internships. Web sites such as journalismjobs.com, journalismnext.com, cubreporters.org, asne.org/internships and freep.com/legacy/jobspage/interns/index.htm are excellent places to seek out such opportunities.

Good luck to you in your search for summer employment.


Denise Bridges
Director of Newsroom Operations and Staff Development
The Virginian-Pilot

Related (via Romenesko): Virginian-Pilot staff, others take five unpaid days off in 2009


I guess it could have been worse...

WOW. And I thought I was going to be disillusioned by a rejection from Disney. The rejection in the previous post shows just how much they have changed in the last 70 years. Imagine: By 2079, my great-grandchildren may have a shot at getting a job at The Happiest Place on Earth!

I knew Walt Disney was supposed to be a racist, but he was apparently quite the sexist as well. But you have to appreciate the evil witch drawn below the signature for added effect; there's nothing like using one of Disney's most wicked early characters to drive the point home.

Thanks to Kelsey for the tip.

ESPN: How depressing is it to be rejected by Disney? There goes my childhood...

donotreply@espn.com Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at (time)
Reply-To: disneycareers.response@disneycareers.com
To: (applicant)

Thank you for taking the time to submit your resume for our opening.

While it is never easy to narrow a search and select a final candidate, we have recently completed the process. The position has been filled with the candidate we feel best meets the qualifications for the position at this time. Please note that while more than one applicant may meet the minimum qualifications of a position, the candidate selected is determined by overall skills, experience, and other relevant elements of professional background.

Other employment opportunities are available and we encourage you to review the vacancies posted on our website, www.espn.com/joinourteam. Again, thank you for your application and interest. Good luck to you in your search.



Sincerely,

Staffing Dept.

ESPN, Inc.


** Please note that this email address does not accept replies.**

Fuck unpaid internships

The community news blogger in the west metro is soliciting three media interns for the upcoming spring semester to "write stories, create podcasts, and record and posting video related to the Wayzata Community."

The internships will be unpaid, but the students will be able to earn credit for the work that they do.
"They will be published in a way that posting something on a Myspace or Facebook page cannot replicate," Gustafson noted.
via MinnPost

Bullshit bullshit bullshit. Kudos to guy the who created Wayzata.com. He's trying something new and putting himself out there with his project, but don't expect quality from unpaid interns unless you're truly providing education or experience (or even name recognition) that can't be replicated elsewhere.

Boston Globe: Only the Top 2 Percent Need Apply

January 13, 2009


Thank you for applying to The Boston Globe’s summer intern program.
We are honored that you would consider the Globe as a newspaper where you would want to work.


You were not among the 11 students selected for The Boston Globe’s
summer internship program in 2008. The accomplishments of the more than 500 applicants made the selection process an extremely difficult one.

Best of luck in the coming year and beyond.




Sincerely,
Paula Bouknight
AME/Hiring & Development

Orlando Sentinel: Sign of the Times?

Thank you for applying for an Orlando Sentinel summer internship.


Our program has been put on hold because of budget concerns. It’s still possible we may hire some interns for the summer, but we cannot make any offers at this time.


I wanted you to know about your status with us, and if we learn that we can move ahead with internships, you may hear from me again.


Best regards,
Dana Eagles 

Staff Development Editor, Orlando Sentinel

Denver Post: "Best Wishes"

New York Times: Classy


Only the New York Times would send rejection letters on classy card stock. I guess they're the only ones in the industry who can afford it right now, so why not?

Our paths will cross again at some point, just you wait.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Take a chance. Work hard. And stay determined."


Three percent acceptance rate. This probably explains their small internship program: AJC is losing $1 million a week

Tampa Trib: Cancelled!

One of several that has been cancelled this year.

From: SBrewster@tampatrib.com
Date: Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 9:55 AM
Subject: The Tampa Tribune 2009 summer internship program.
To:

I bring you sad news regarding The Tampa Tribune's 2009 summer internship program.

 

Due to our current economic situation, we have had to make some difficult choices regarding our newsroom budget.

It is unfortunate, but we have decided to suspend our 10-week summer internship program for this year.


I apologize to you for how all of this has unfolded. I know you have invested time, energy and hope in the applying for the positions we posted six months ago. Unfortunately, we were unable to foresee the current conditions that have led us to suspend the program.

My hope is that this news reaches you in time to apply for other opportunities with internship programs.


I wish you good luck in your search.

Sincerely,

Richard (Duke) Maas
Managing Editor
The Tampa Tribune

Washington Post - 4.4% accepted

Received 12/8/08. Surprisingly low number of applicants for such a large paper. Likely due to time-intensive application (two letters of reference, essay, clips, etc):

from: Peter Perl (e-mail address)
to: (applicant)
date: Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at (time)
subject: Message from The Washington Post Summer News Program


Dear Mr. (applicant):


This is to let you know that you have not been chosen for our 2009 summer intern program. We much appreciate the time and effort you took to participate in this application process. We had to make some very difficult decisions, as we received more than 450 applications for only 20 internship positions, a particularly intense competition.


I want to assure you that your application received a very serious reading by our panel of editors, and I hope you continue your pursuit of a journalism career. I wish the very best in that endeavor.


Yours truly,


Peter Perl
Assistant Managing Editor/Personnel
The Washington Post
1150 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20071
Tel: (number)
Fax: (number)
(e-mail address)


Note: If you wish to confirm the contents of this e-mail, you may do so by logging in to your application account at http://intern.washpost.com .

Welcome



Young journalists across the country know the thrill of sending out tens of applications each fall in eager anticipation of tens of rejection letters (followed, hopefully, by one phone call offering a job.) This blog will be chronicling the art form known as the rejection letter. To contribute, rejection e-mails and scans of rejection letters can be sent to rejectionblog@gmail.com . All applicant names and phone numbers will be edited out.