Students to intern in China as part of school program this summer

Lauren Ratcliffe, a senior double major in journalism and political science from Charlotte, and Lauren Russell, a junior journalism major from Wilmington, N.C., will intern at China.org.cn in Beijing this summer.

Both students will edit and report for the news website’s English-language department, which has more than 50 employees. The website is part of the Chinese government’s China Internet Information Center.  

Richard Cole, John Kerr Distinguished Professor and dean emeritus of the school, created the program several years ago and continues to run it.

“It can be a life-changing experience for students,” Cole said. “Some have come to love China and have taken full-time jobs there.”

Ratcliffe has reported for The Daily Tar Heel since 2009 and interned with Charlotte Taste magazine and the NBC News Channel in Charlotte. Russell is assistant arts editor for The Daily Tar Heel and interned with the CNN wire department in Atlanta.

“The people at China.org have come to know and respect our school and the university,” Cole said. “Each year two of their staff members spend the spring semester here and not only learn a great deal about mass communication in the States but also about our culture and our free-media system.” 

The two China.org.cn staff members in the school this spring are Shan Huang, who supervises the website’s feature content and sports, and Lin Xu, who oversees business journalism content. Both will sit in on classes and work in the Park Library, Cole said. 

Students may apply for the summer internships each fall.  They must pay for their own travel to and from Beijing, but funds are provided for living expenses. A school committee selects the interns.