Choose one of the sections above to learn more.
News
Thank you for your interest in joining the News team of The Daily Princetonian!
In News, we break crucial stories and conduct in-depth investigations. We provide objective coverage of University decisions, meetings, policy changes, and announcements, and keep the Orange Bubble up to date on student life and alumni happenings. We take deep dives into issues of activism and equity, both inside and outside FitzRandolph Gate. And as a news source for both the municipality and broader University community, we cover just about everything from marijuana legalization in N.J. to the survival of local businesses during the pandemic.
We accept new writers with a wide range of backgrounds in journalistic writing or reporting; in fact, many of our current writers and editors joined the ‘Prince’ with no experience! In journalism, the best way to learn is by doing. Through hands-on editing, open communication, and comprehensive training, our news editors will help you learn the tools of the trade.
News reporters are encouraged to write as often as they wish, with an expectation of one article approximately every two weeks. While some of our writers follow beats — covering topic-specific stories (like those involving the eating clubs, student government, town affairs, or on-campus research) and developing an expertise in that area — others elect to cover a broad range of stories that interest them.
Our reporters are integral to helping us decide what to cover, as they bring fresh pitches and perspectives to our weekly section-wide meetings. The News section is adapting how we report and tell stories heading into this semester — so the more new ideas and perspectives, the better.
Above all else, the News team is a tight-knit community, and we'd love to have you on board!
If you have any questions about joining the News section, please reach out to our Head News Editors, Katie Dailey and Andrew Sommerville, at news@dailyprincetonian.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Link to News application: https://forms.gle/G8NFJWrpoBBeZMWa6
Check out some of our work below.
Opinion
Do you love analyzing current events in your community? Do you have a passion for argumentation? Do you want to drive campus conversation? Join The Daily Princetonian's Opinion section!
Our columnists have wide latitude to write about what matters to them. From 600-word columns to deep dives into specific topics, you can bring your unique style to our team. The Opinion section seeks to recruit columnists with a range of experiences, backgrounds, and ideas. We hope to elevate voices that have been historically underrepresented, both on our campus and in our newsroom, and to fill our pages with a diversity of viewpoints and perspectives.
Columnists are welcome to join the ‘Prince’ whether you were a leader of your high school newspaper or are brand new to journalism. As a columnist, you’ll be asked to contribute at least once every three weeks, though more frequent writing is welcomed. You will learn how to craft a cohesive argument and articulate thoughtfully about the most important issues on campus. You will develop your voice as a writer and gain an audience on campus and beyond. Plus, you'll have a team of fellow columnists to learn from and a community of journalists at the ‘Prince.’
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/aLeTMuLpfX6o9Din6 .
We hope to welcome you this fall! If you have any questions, contact our Head Opinion Editor Genrietta Churbanova ’24 and the rest of the team at opinion@dailyprincetonian.com.
Check out some of our work below.
Sports
Welcome to Sports — we're so glad you're interested in covering the athletic landscape at Princeton!
Entering the second full year of athletic competition since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ‘Prince’ Sports section is enthusiastically recruiting beat writers for all sports. Writers are expected to attend weekly meetings, a few training workshops, and to write about one article a week. Of course, you’re welcome to write more! Additionally, you will be able to indicate which sports you prefer to cover and will have the opportunity to explore others. Reporters have said in the past that interviewing and building relationships with the teams have been a major highlight of their ‘Prince’ experience. This year, reporters will also have the chance to travel to away games with teams as well!
While game previews and recaps are a big part of the section, writers will also have the chance to cover major Princeton Athletics breaking news stories and to write features of their choosing over the course of the year. We encourage you to check out the different tabs on the Sports page of the ‘Prince’ website to see the full range of what we cover: game coverage, to Q&As, to inside looks at practices and training, to breaking Sports pieces, and so much more!
The Sports section of the ‘Prince’ seeks to accommodate all incoming writers who demonstrate interest in the section and willingness to commit. We look forward to reading your application and having you join our team!
You can find our section-specific application here: https://forms.gle/J6J3xma2njYQgzmZ8
If you have any questions, contact our head editors Julia Nguyen ’24 and Wilson Conn ’25 at sports@dailyprincetonian.com.
Check out some of our work below.
The Prospect
Are your friends always asking for your latest restaurant or book recommendations? Do you enjoy sharing personal experiences and reflections? Do you have an appreciation for the finer things in life — art, music, literature, or film?
Come join The Prospect, the arts and culture section of the ‘Prince.’
Our stories fall into four major categories: our arts pieces review performances and exhibitions on campus, profile our artists, and provide news on the arts at Princeton; our entertainment pieces perform detailed cultural analysis and criticism of movies, TV shows, and other media; our life pieces provide Nassau-related coverage of everything from sexual health to boba recommendations; and finally, our self pieces give writers the opportunity to share reflections on their unique lived experiences at Princeton and elsewhere.
At The Prospect, we value all styles of writing: light and humorous, deep and introspective, analytical and comprehensive. Our staffers are expected to contribute at least 3-4 times each semester, though more-consistent writing is encouraged. No prior experience is necessary, and many Prospect writers were completely new to journalism when they wrote their first articles. The Prospect team is exceptionally open-minded and welcomes writers with a variety of academic and personal interests.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/hjwnmhijgbpYoXUb7
For any questions about joining The Prospect, feel free to email our head editors José Pablo Fernández García ’23 and Aster Zhang ’24 and the rest of the team at prospect@dailyprincetonian.com.
Check out some of our work below.
Features
Have you always wanted to write for The New Yorker? Do you enjoy insightful interviews and human connection? Are you a detective at heart?
Come join the Features section at The Daily Princetonian.
We specialize in profiles and long-form news writing. We value a good story and how it is told — our editors spend extensive time working with writers to hone their prose, their article structure, and above all, their unique voice in order to create well-crafted articles.
At Features, we are of the mind that every story is worth telling, and we encourage writers to pursue their interests and pitch us their ideas — if you give a captivating elevator pitch, then no story, collaboration, or series is too outlandish.
Joining Features means joining a tight-knit community that values one-on-one time with an editor to best help support you, the writer, and help your piece shine. Our writers are expected to work closely with editors, meet interim deadlines, and make consistent progress on their assignments. No experience is required to join our section — in fact, many of our editors had never worked on a newspaper before joining the ‘Prince’! Before being writers and editors who pursue meaningful projects, we are an inclusive and light-hearted community, and we are always eager to expand our team with passionate new writers.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/3R5KR3NqJ7XY9PnE9
Contact Co-Head Features Editors Alex Gjaja ’23 and Sydney Eck ’24 at features@dailyprincetonian.com with any questions.
Check out some of our work below.
Photo
Hello from PrincePhoto! If you are interested in visually highlighting student experiences or producing photos accompanying news, features, and sports articles, please consider joining the photo section!
We focus on creating polished images to accompany articles from other ‘Prince’ sections as well as creating photo essays that explore campus life through visual imagery. We are always open to new ideas for both short-term and long-term projects. This year, we are working on building a comprehensive photo library and creating new photo essays that showcase student life on campus.
As a new Photo section staffer, we would ask you to contribute 3–4 times per month with high-quality photos to be featured in articles or photo essays. If this sounds daunting, do not worry! The Photo section will run biweekly workshops on topics ranging from basic camera operations to photo editing and photojournalism ethics. The ‘Prince’ will also provide camera equipment if necessary. You do not need any experience, or equipment, to join us.
We hope you join us as we strive to bring the best of visual storytelling to The Daily Princetonian.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/hXS1VE7WZYrLCgSs9
If you have any questions, please reach out to Head Photo Editor Candace Do at photo@dailyprincetonian.com. We can’t wait to work with you this semester and beyond!
Check out some of our work below.
Podcast
Welcome to the Podcast section of The Daily Princetonian! We hope you’ll join us as we work at the cutting edge of what it means to be a student journalist.
We currently produce three shows:
Daybreak is the only daily news podcast produced by a college newspaper. It produces 3-4 minute episodes M-F and often a longer (8-10 minute) episode covering one story in depth on Sundays.
The Orange Table covers in-depth and nuanced discussions about race at Princeton. It publishes longer (20+ minute) episodes about once a month.
Princeton Insights: The Highlights conducts interviews with Princeton’s top student and faculty science researchers. It publishes two 20 minute episodes each month.
We’re looking forward to building a strong slate of shows the Princeton community can both learn from and enjoy. In addition, the Podcast section is the audio stronghold of the ‘Prince’ — while most of our work goes into producing our shows, we also enhance articles from other sections of the ‘Prince’ with audio content. Podcast staff are typically assigned to one show, where they work on episode production throughout the year. Attendance at twice-monthly section meetings is expected.
We’re looking for anyone who’s excited about podcasting and is ready to learn. Absolutely no experience or personal equipment is required — we provide everything needed to get you started. Whether you’r interested in writing scripts, engineering audio, or taking a turn hosting, we’re excited for you to join our team!
You can find our section-specific supplement here.
If you have any questions or thoughts, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Head Podcast Editor Hope Perry at podcast@dailyprincetonian.com. Looking forward to working with you!
Check out some of our work below.
Copy
Copy editing is the final step of the writing process. Our staffers are the unsung heroes of excellent journalism and the gatekeepers between our stories and our readers.
Come join the Copy section of The Daily Princetonian! On Copy, we value an attention to detail and a determination to do better, whether that’s refining small errors or reconfiguring the larger systems that shape our writing norms. Most of all, we are a tight-knit, welcoming community and an indispensable part of the newsroom spirit. Joining Copy means joining a supportive and talented group of staffers and editors who are always willing to work together on a piece, often while catching up on each other's lives and having a great time. Most copy editors join without any previous experience!
We have a saying at the ‘Prince' called “Copy saves lives.” Sometimes, that's said when a combination of a multitude of small errors are avoided — the hundreds of articles that Copy receives with names misspelled, commas misplaced, or small factual errors are fixed up by our team of talented wordsmiths, who abide by our nearly 80 page in-house Style Guide as if it were a religious text.
Other times, that's said when Copy uses its investigative skills to reveal larger gaps in our reporting, addresses structural issues that make an entire piece unclear, protects our paper against libel suits by correcting quotes and flagging defamatory statements, removes editorializing language in our news pieces, or pushes for conscious language use that reframes and refocuses how our journalists use words pertaining to pronouns, race, gender, and sexuality.
This year, ‘Prince' copy editors have copied dozens of breaking news pieces, worked to establish gender-affirming language in our reporting, independently verified hard-hitting, data driven pieces, and collaborated closely with reporters on how to rephrase their writing for accuracy and readability.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/tciMUg21ScE8qnKn8
If you have any questions, please contact copy@dailyprincetonian.com.
Design
Hello and welcome to The Daily Princetonian Design section! We're so excited for new staffers to join our team and to work with you all over the coming months! Design at the ‘Prince’ comprises three key activities: Print Design, Web Design, and Graphic Design.
As you read through these descriptions, you may notice some overlap with other subsections, but Design is exactly that; we are a highly collaborative section that strives to foster a close-knit community of passionate designers. No experience is needed, and staffers can join as many subsections as they want.
We are excited to get you trained in the necessary software and will be there to help and support you every step of the way. All we need from you is an interest in learning and excitement for contributing to the design of the ‘Prince’. We would love to have you!
Click here for our print design application, here for web design, and here for graphics design.
Print Design
In addition to our strong digital presence here at the ‘Prince’, we are also so excited to produce print issues! We’ll publish a print issue featuring key articles, columns, crosswords, cartoons, and more, allowing our readers to engage with our content in a tangible way. And in Print Design, you’ll have the opportunity to put together the layout for these print issues! Once a week or once every two weeks, you will be on shift with another Print designer working in Adobe InDesign to put together a paper that will be distributed across campus and in some local shops in town as well. No experience is necessary, and we are so excited to hear from you!
With any questions, reach out to our editors at design@dailyprincetonian.com.
Check out some of our work below.
Web Design
Web Design is one of the newest sections at the ‘Prince’ and focuses on designing custom web pages to tell stories interactively and visually. This subsection collaborates frequently with other sections, and staffers typically work alongside writers in crafting compelling designs and visual essays. Most of our work is done using HTML, CSS, and Javascript, but experience with any of these technologies is not necessary to join! Far more important is a passion for telling stories in creative ways and a commitment to learning how to do so. For examples of our previous work, be sure to check out the “Projects” tab on our website!
Check out some of our work below.
Graphic Design
Complementing the other three wonderful sections of Design, Graphic Design is responsible for creating graphics and infographics. Using Illustrator and Photoshop, the graphics you design will accompany and spice up data-heavy or lengthy stories that would benefit from some visual representation. If you are interested in being an infographic designer, the normal procedure is that you'll be paired with a writer and work with them as they write their story to produce something visual to accompany it. We’ll also be working closely with other sections within Design and within the newspaper. No prior experience required — we provide any necessary training!
Check out some of our work below.
Data
Do you desperately want to quantify the percentage of your classmates who drink on a given weekend? Are you a ruthless empiricist who could spend hours analyzing room draw options? Are you bad with numbers but sorta wish you weren’t? Do you enjoy silly little emails?
If you said yes to any of these questions, consider joining the Data team! Home to projects like the Frosh Survey and the Senior Survey, Data is the newest section at the Daily Princetonian, specializing in numerical storytelling — we utilize numbers to investigate questions and stories that can’t be explored otherwise.
As important as numbers and graphs are to us (and we have some very cool ones), the story itself is just as important. We’re on the hunt for gifted writers alongside talented spreadsheeters.
If any of that sounds daunting to you, don’t worry! We make it a priority to help each other – we’re a team after all! Our editors are here to help in every step of the process, from pitching to publishing. No experience in journalism or data is necessary. Truly. We swear. Pinky promise. If any of this sounds like fun to you, don’t hesitate to join Data!
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/sQXJMr78Gj92zhc27
Please contact Head Data Editor Sam Kagan and the rest of our team at data@dailyprincetonian.com with any questions. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Data and the ‘Prince’!
Check out some of our work below.
Audience Analytics & Social Media
Hello from The Daily Princetonian Audience team! We're so excited for new staffers to join our team and to work with you all over the coming months! Audience at the ‘Prince’ breaks down into two subsections – Data Analytics and Social Media – and staffers can join one or both sections.
The Audience team plays a unique role at the ‘Prince’ because we get the chance to work with all of the other subsections at the paper. We’re a highly collaborative team dedicated to improving our audience’s experience.
We are here to help and support you every step of the way. The ‘Prince’ is first and foremost a teaching organization, and we will train you in all of the necessary software; no experience is needed! All we need from you is an interest in learning and excitement for enhancing the way the ‘Prince’ interacts with our audience!
For both subsections, you can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/kcNNAQE3g4ED4Ggu8.
Reach out to us at audience@dailyprincetonian.com or our Head Audience Editor, Rowen Gesue, at rgesue@princeton.com with any questions!
Data Analytics
Interested in using data to grow the ‘Prince’s’ reach and audience? The Data Analytics section of Audience, which launched in Spring of 2022, is dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data to support all editorial sections, increase our readership, and promote growth. No formal technical or data analysis skills required!
Our main initiative last semester was creating and analyzing the ‘Prince’s’ first ever Readership survey, which gathered info from a large swath of our readers to understand what our readers want to see from us going into the future.
This semester, we will be implementing many of the findings and requests indicated in our Readership Survey via working closely with other sections of the ‘Prince’. Potential projects include working with the Newsletter team to implement designs that increase engagement and working with the News team to increase content in key areas that are currently undercovered.
We will also be building bi-annual website and social media analytics reports to understand areas for improvement specifically with reader engagement and attracting more viewers to our articles.
Feel free to reach out to our Associate Audience Editor, Sai Rachumalla, at sair@princeton.edu with any other questions about the Data Analytics section!
Social Media
The main way The Daily Princetonian gets content to our audience is through our social media platforms. The ‘Prince’ shares stories daily through our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Join the Social Media team to design posts, write captions, and craft stories.
On your Social Media shifts you’ll be creating eye-catching Instagram posts for some of our best stories as well as scheduling our Facebook and Twitter posts. Designing posts that can be quickly read and easily shared with your friends and family is super rewarding, and we’ll train you in everything you need to know!
Check out our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Why won’t anybody teach me math? https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxY6OSNTCD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Burn down the eating clubs https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc29g71tT0z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The Senior Survey https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc8HDjUt4pM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Construction Delays Breaking https://www.instagram.com/p/CgP3EuRPt9Q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Cartoon
If you’re a dab hand at doodling or a whiz at wordplay, please consider applying to us! Our section handles cartoons (as you might expect), but we’re also involved in illustrations, visual essays, caption contests, and other artistic projects at the ‘Prince.’ We accept a variety of styles and media (digital or traditional), and our subject matter isn't limited to campus.
A contributing cartoonist would be expected to turn in about 2-3 high quality cartoons per month by signing up for slots, so the schedule is very flexible. This 2-3 cartoon quota can also be expanded to 2-3 drawings in general, if you’re more interested in providing illustrations to accompany written pieces (often for Prospect, Opinion, or Humor). That process would involve signing up for a particular illustration request and submitting a drawing according to the specifications, which are often pretty broad, like the overall topic and tone. We’re also open to try newer projects like collages, a cartoon series, simple animations, or interactive media, so feel free to discuss those ideas with us.
Our audience includes the website, our newsletter, and all our social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook), with thousands of potential viewers for your art. As a cartoonist, you'll have a flexible schedule and creative freedom for your submissions. We’ve also held drawing challenges, art exchanges, and similar events if you’re interested in those.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/kaxDSReiNxrusavR9
If you have any questions, please contact us at cartoon@dailyprincetonian.com.
Check out some of our work below.
Newsletter
Do you regularly read and rave over The New York Times “The Morning” or NPR’s “Life Kit”? Have you ever looked at The Daily Princetonian’s newsletter and thought it could be better? If so, you might be interested in applying to the ‘Prince’ newsletter team!
The daily newsletter has been a crucial part of our outreach. Since our paper now only prints weekly, the newsletter has become an integral component of how the ‘Prince’ reaches readers. Each day, our team is responsible for writing and developing the newsletter, which captures the day’s most important stories and is sent out to over 3,000 subscribers.
Our team is also responsible for creating newsletters for Special Issues as well as consulting with other sections to create new, section-specific newsletters.
As newsletter writers, you will:
1. write one newsletter per week (about 1-2 hours starting 9PM)
2. attend staff meetings once a month
3. attend any section-wide or Prince-wide training sessions
Some programs you will learn/be working with include: MailChimp, CEO, and Excel. There is NO experience needed! We will teach you everything you need to know.
Joining the newsletter team means joining an up-and-coming section looking for fresh and bold ideas. It is a low-commitment way to join the ‘Prince’ and become part of sharing our paper’s work with the broader Princeton community.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/47sm6BZgSHi9HLUb7
For any questions, feel free to contact:
kbhakta@princeton.edu, aciceu@princeton.edu, or aditid@princeton.edu
Check out some of our work below.
Puzzles
Are you a daily solver of the New York Times crossword (or the mini)? Are you a closet cruciverbalist? Want to meet other solvers, play with words, and try your hand at making a puzzle? Then join The Daily Princetonian’s new Puzzles mini-section!
Contributing constructors working for the Puzzles section will serve an important role in kick-starting a new section. We will train constructors on basic methods, strategies, and skills to make fun and difficult crossword puzzles (and possibly other games and puzzles in the future). Contributing constructors will work together with the editors to make two or three crossword puzzles each month.
No experience is necessary. The ‘Prince’ prides itself on teaching the many rather than cherry-picking the few. We will work with constructors of any level to get everyone from their first attempt at constructing to publication. Enthusiasm is far more important than any experience constructing or even solving. Our constructors are expected to produce several puzzles each semester, which may seem daunting. But those who can learn as they go, work with enthusiasm, and think deeply about the craft will thrive in our section.
Historically, white men have made up too large a percentage of crossword constructors at the New York Times and other major publications. Clues and entries, too, are sometimes oriented toward an audience of (older) white people. We stand with recent efforts, led by women and people of color, to increase the diversity of voices represented in crosswords and look towards leaders like Erik Agard, Inkubator, and Queer Qrosswords — among many others — as we build this section. We look forward to working with a diversity of constructors and creating puzzles for all Princetonians.
You can find our section-specific supplement here: https://forms.gle/MbraFRrsHiwBrp3j7
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our puzzles editors Gabe Robare and Owen Travis at puzzles@dailyprincetonian.com.
Check out some of our work below.
Humor
The ‘Prince’ Humor section is Princeton’s best source of spoof, joke, and jest that has officially yet to exist until now.
Ever since 1876, the ‘Prince’ has been undergoing a semi-covert grand master plot to create a vertically integrated media fiefdom to slurp up all coverage in the Greater Central Jersey Area. And as we all know, every vertically integrated media fiefdom needs a court jester. That’s us.
This section will take the Prince’s longstanding tradition of publishing an annual joke issue much further, creating weekly content satirizing the new and notable happenings (or lack thereof) in Princeton. As a founding member of the Humor team, you’ll have all the glory that comes with starting up a brand spanking new section. Plus you’ll be able to tell your parents and future employers you have a very serious position at a very serious paper, when you’re actually writing headlines about Eisgruber’s alleged personal collection of Jason Derulo memorabilia and Murray Dodge serving edibles. We know you may have some questions. Here’s some answers.
Do I have to be funny?
On a scale of the color beige to the literal founders of The Onion, you should be at least a 4.2 ish.
How does the Prince Humor section differ from other ironic campus publications?
See note about vertically integrated media fiefdom.
How will I spend my time?
Brainstorming silly little ideas, writing silly little spoof articles, hanging out with silly little Princetonian staffers, and trying not to get any more silly little libel lawsuit threats from the Church of Scientology.
This FAQ was wildly unhelpful and I still have questions. Who do I contact?
Kindly direct all inquiries, praise, or personal attacks to our Humor Editor Claire Silberman at humor@dailyprincetonian.com
Ready to apply?
Once you fill out the general application form, you can access our section-specific application here: https://forms.gle/uEomaet1tpKdgiFVA
Check out some of our work below.
