Arkansas Traveler Editor Selected for New York Journalism Internship

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Alex Nicoll

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas senior Alex Nicoll has been awarded one of the nation’s top journalism internships through the Dow Jones News Fund.

Nicoll, editor-in-chief of the The Arkansas Traveler, will spend the summer reporting for the financial news website theStreet.com in New York. The internship is through the Dow Jones News Fund, which provides training in reporting, editing, multimedia and data journalism followed by a paid internship.

“This is one of the leading journalism internships in the country,” said Rob Wells, assistant professor of journalism, who teaches a business reporting class. “Students receive excellent, immersive training from leading professionals and then are placed into newsrooms where they receive support and mentorship.”

Nicoll, a double major in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media and the Sam M. Walton College of Business, interned last summer for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

“Alex arrived at the U of A as a freshman with a goal of finding a rewarding journalism career,” said Gina Shelton, who oversees the journalism school’s internship program. “We mentor our students and help them fulfill their dreams.’’

 Shelton said that Wells, a former Dow Jones and Wall Street Journal editor, was instrumental in connecting Nicoll to the national program and preparing him for success in business journalism. Nicoll met with a Wall Street Journal recruiter who visited the U of A in 2016, but as a sophomore he was not eligible for an internship.

Nicoll is also one of 20 students chosen to attend a business reporting program at New York University, led by Paul Glader, an associate professor at The King's College and former Wall Street Journal reporter.

“I'm looking forward to taking the skills I'll learn this summer and bringing them back to the The Arkansas Traveler to help improve one of the best student publications in the country, while also furthering my abilities as a journalist,’’ said Nicoll, who is serving back-to-back years as Traveler editor. “The prospect of living and working in New York is both exhilarating and daunting, but it'll be a summer I never forget. I just want to thank everybody who has helped me reach this exciting new chapter in my life.’’

Nicoll is among four students who will be interning at theStreet.com. Two attend New York University and one is in City University of New York graduate school.

The internships start May 29. In addition to the paid internship, Nicoll will receive a $1,000 scholarship for his senior year.

The Dow Jones News Fund is the charitable arm of Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch and Barron’s.