Are you interested in growing your career in media and communications? Are you ready to join a network of alumni at organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Axios and The Wall Street Journal? The Independent Florida Alligator is looking for its next team of reporters, editors, photographers and more for the Spring semester.
The Alligator is an entirely student-run and editorially independent newspaper covering the University of Florida and greater Gainesville community. The staff is made up of reporters, editors, photographers and designers from UF and Santa Fe College with varying levels of journalism and college experience. Each semester, The Alligator hires a new staff for the duration of the semester. We’re currently hiring for Spring 2022. A new staff will be hired for Summer 2022 around April.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Alligator will continue to operate remotely for the Spring. All mandatory events, such as our weekly staff meetings on Sunday, will take place over Zoom. We prioritize the health and safety of our reporters above all else — all staff members are expected to social distance, wear masks and conduct their reporting safely.
The Alligator is a digital-first newsroom, and we strive to deliver engaging online content to our audience and highly value innovative ways to tell stories and integrate multimedia components to our work. Staff are expected to produce daily content for the website and newsletters. In addition to our online content, The Alligator prints once a week on Sundays.
Alligator reporters regularly cover high-profile, national events.
Over the course of 2021, they’ve been instrumental in providing daily and in-depth coverage of the greater Gainesville community. We’ve held UF accountable by digging into its decision to restrict professors from testifying in court cases and reporting detailed accounts of abuse under former women’s head basketball coach Cam Newbauer. We followed up on coverage of Black Lives Matter and pedestrian crashes with deeply reported, semester-long investigative projects. We were crucial in providing in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and sexual violence on campus.
The Alligator’s work has been referenced in national outlets such as Miami Herald, ESPN and CNN.
We want to continue this long record of notable coverage. Our newsroom fosters the fundamental ideals of journalism: Not accepting things at face value, asking tough questions and telling important stories.
Being part of The Alligator staff also connects students to a large, diverse and distinguished alumni network. Alligator alumni have gone on to positions, fellowships and professional internships at The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post and more. Our alumni include back-to-back Alligator editors-in-chief who were the first two New York Times fellows from UF, as well as at least four subsequent Pulitzer Prize winners.
Beyond joining an expansive alumni network, working at The Alligator is a great opportunity to meet other passionate student journalists and make lifelong friendships. Hundreds of successful journalists, authors, writers and more have started their careers at The Alligator. We’re ready to continue that tradition and build the next generation of Alligator journalists. Now is your chance to join.
Please read through the positions we’re hiring.
Application tips from the Editor-in-Chief
- All applications are due at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 23.
- Please submit one application per section. For example, you can submit separate applications to be an editor, a staff writer and a photographer. However, if you are interested in two reporting positions, submit one staff writer application and declare your preferences in the space provided.
- Submit your Google Form. If you have difficulties uploading your resume, clips or class schedule, you can email them to lhubbard@alligator.org.
- Only submit three to five of your best clips.
- If you're applying to a multimedia position, submit or send us your portfolio.
- Pay attention to your grammar and our directions. Read everything twice.
- If you’re on the fence about applying, let us know. We’d be happy to answer any questions or concerns you have. You can reach the Editor-in-Chief by emailing lhubbard@alligator.org.
The Avenue, the arts, culture and entertainment section of The Alligator, is hiring! We are looking for ambitious staff writers who are well versed in arts, theater, film, music, food and drink, fashion, lifestyle and Gainesville nightlife. These positions will be paid.
Click HERE to apply to The Avenue
Applications are due Saturday, Feb. 23 at 11:59 p.m. We recommend that you apply well before the deadline.
Staff writers will complete 2-3 weekly news and enterprise stories with a focus on the Gainesville entertainment scene for both The Alligator’s print and digital publications.
With more creative freedom than traditional daily news writers, The Avenue team should be up to date on all things entertainment in Gainesville. Here, writers have the opportunity to interview local creatives, write personal essays about collegiate culture, produce Q&As with performing artists, review movies and shows, critique restaurants and much more.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Alligator will continue to operate remotely for the Spring. All mandatory events, such as our weekly staff meetings on Sunday, will take place over Zoom. We prioritize the health and safety of our reporters above all else — all staff members are expected to social distance, wear masks and conduct their reporting safely.
The Alligator is a digital-first newsroom, and we strive to deliver engaging online content to our audience and highly value innovative ways to tell stories and integrate multimedia components into our work. Staff are expected to produce daily content for the website and newsletters. In addition to our online content, The Alligator prints once a week on Sundays.
Journalism students are preferred, but all majors are welcome to apply. Applicants must be either UF or Santa Fe students.
Please direct any questions to Avenue Editor, Makiya Seminera, at mseminera@alligator.org or Editor-In-Chief, Lianna Hubbard, at lhubbard@alligator.org.
Lifestyle Reporter
This reporter is tasked with reporting on a broad variety of lifestyles to highlight the uniqueness of the Gainesville community. This position gives the writer lots of room for creativity by covering a large range of topics including fashion, business, technology and sexuality. The reporter should have a good understanding of the diversity of lifestyles in the local community. This reporter will be assigned stories related to this beat by The Avenue editor but should also pitch their own daily and feature story ideas. This reporter will be expected to write an average of two to three stories per week and at least six enterprise stories per semester. Previous reporting experience is preferred but not required. Journalism majors are preferred, but all majors are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be UF or Santa Fe College students.
Pay: About $6 per story
General Assignment Reporter
This reporter will be the jack-of-all-trades in the newsroom. They’ll cover any Avenue-related stories. They’ll also learn the basics of reporting in a multimedia age across digital platforms. This reporters will be expected to write two to three stories per week and at least one or two enterprise stories during the semester. Previous reporting experience is preferred but not required. Journalism majors are preferred, but all majors are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be UF or Santa Fe College students.
Pay: About $4 per story
