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Want to become part of The Red & Black? Click here to complete an interest form and get started in our training program as a newsroom recruit.

Red & Black FAQ

Red & Black Reporters

I don’t have experience. How do I even start?

We will train you! In our recruitment process you work one-on-one with our  recruitment managers to learn reporting and news writing essentials. The first step is just to sign up, which you can do here.

What exactly does the recruitment process involve?

You complete practice assignments that cover journalism basics and give you experience with interviews, research, AP style and more.  All recruits start with basics, but you will focus your later projects to an area of our news coverage that mosts interests you: news, culture, sports or opinion.

This usually takes people most of a semester.

Do I have to be a journalism student?

No. Our mission is to offer experience to any UGA student who wants it. Many of our successful alumni have come out of Terry, SPIA and Franklin. Our only stipulation is that you are currently enrolled.

What if I have experience from high school or a college I transferred from?

Complete the recruitment interest form and a member of our team will contact you about the best place for you to start.

I want to join — but I hate writing! Is there something else I can do?

Yes. We train designers, photographers, videographers, social media editors, digital producers and more. You go through the basics to learn about news writing, AP style and journalism ethics, but then you can move into other areas of the newsroom.

My parents and friends say journalism is a dying field. Why should I sign up?

To them, we say: You’re wrong! While traditional newspapers don’t have the same revenue they used to, online news is growing. The Red & Black was one of the first student news organizations in the country to go digital-first and our online readership has grown exponentially over the past two years. You will learn hands-on skills that can help you get a job.

Our recent alums work at organizations including The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, CNN, The Charlotte Business Journal, Fortune, Moxie, UPS, The Home Depot and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I’ve heard it takes a lot of time to be part of The Red & Black. How many hours a week do I have to put in?

It’s up to you. You can work at your own pace to best balance with your class schedule.

Could I get paid?

Newsroom paid positions include: editor, designer, digital producer, photo or video editor, podcast producer, social media editor and newsletter editor. You will need at least a semester of experience as a contributor to be ready for one of these positions, which we call "desk editor" jobs and which require greater time commitments. 

Contributing writer, photographer, illustrator and videographer positions are not paid.

On the business side, you can apply directly for paid positions when they are posted. These include account executive, digital marketing manager, business assistant and promotions roles. You also can apply for unpaid intern spots.

So, how do I get started?

Want to join the newsroom? Complete this interest form.

Interested in the business side of things? Complete this form.

About The Red & Black

Since 1893

We were founded in 1893 and for 129 years our mission has been to cover UGA and Athens while training students for careers in news media. We've come a long way since articles were written by candlelight and the newspaper was delivered by horse and cart. Today, The Red & Black is one of the largest community news organizations in Georgia.

Our newsroom is student-run, which means our staff makes the decisions about what they cover and how they cover it. We became independent of UGA in 1980 and we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization. 

We don't get fees or funding from UGA. We support ourselves through advertising, events and donations. Students are involved in every aspect of the organization including our business operations and creative services.


Red & Black Basics

10,000 average weekly readers of the print issue

70,000 average weekly users of redandblack.com

10.2 million pageviews in 2020

93,000 followers on social media

28,000 newsletter subscribers

100,000 readers of our special publications


The student editor in chief and sales manager serve on the board of directors of The Red & Black and help shape our direction and set goals.

We produce a weekly newspaper, The Red & Black, and publish news and features online daily at redandblack.com. We also publish a series of special magazine-style publications, produce newsletters and podcasts and host special events. 

In 2020, The Red & Black was named the best non-daily student newspaper in the country by the Society of Professional Journalists. We were named the best overall student news organization in Georgia by the Georgia College Press Association in 2021.