The Intersections of Writing and Activism with Ms. Magazine

This summer, I had the privilege of working as an Editorial Intern for a publication I have admired for quite some time, Ms. Magazine. As the United States’ first feminist publication and a product of the civil rights movement, I learned about my role in activism as a writer, and how movement journalism has changed over time. Throughout the internship, I worked closely with the Managing Digital Editor, Roxanne Szal, as well as the other interns. I learned how to properly fact-check, how to conduct interviews, how to cover conferences and events, how to use different writing style-guides, and so much more.

A majority of my internship was spent reading submissions from authors around the world and editing them to meet Ms. style guides. I learned about current events, women’s experiences with reproductive healthcare access in their states, feminist media, and more. Beyond editing, I co-wrote a column entitled “The War on Women Report” along with another Tulane intern. This column is a monthly round-up of the current events that affect women worldwide. This column was my favorite part of the internship, as I was able to stay up-to-date on current events, learn about what draws readers’ attention, and I was given the freedom to choose which stories we wrote about.

Before this internship, I did not know that activism and professional journalism could be so closely tied, and I often found myself wondering which of the two I should focus my career on. However, from Ms., I learned that professional journalism and activism are uniquely intertwined, as Ms. creates spaces for a variety of voices to share their stories, opinions, and ideas. My largest takeaway from this internship is that I am able to have a career in a combination of journalism and activism, and I do not have to choose between the two.

This internship has completely changed my life and has inspired me to continue my writing career in politically active spheres. I am continuing as an intern into this semester, so I am eager to see what more I will learn from Ms. Magazine.