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RAW STORY is seeking two editorial interns for summer 2006.

The largest online progressive reporting outlet in the United States, RAW STORY focuses on domestic and international politics, and provides a wide swath of news to 350,000 visitors a day. The site was the first in the U.S. to print the Downing Street Minutes, which alleged that the U.S. had "fixed" intelligence around a policy for war, provided detailed exclusive reporting on the CIA leak inquiry, and was the first to report that outed CIA officer Valerie Plame had been working on Iran.

Interns will get a broad taste of the RAW STORY experience. This will include researching, writing, and developing articles for publication; updating the news stories on the site; and gaining first-hand experience with Congressional offices, political nonprofits and major figures on Capitol Hill. The internship is ideal for individuals who work well with limited guidance and are interested in aggressively experiencing Washington investigative journalism.

Writing for RAW STORY puts you on the map in Washington. The site is read by thousands of top politicos and Washington's leading political journalists, and was featured as one of two political sites recommended by the Wall Street Journal's trends section in 2005.

Interns need not be based in D.C. Most of our writers work from their homes. One intern will work with Raw Story editor John Byrne, the second with Managing Editor Larisa Alexandrovna.

The positions will be unpaid. RAW STORY will cover telephone and other basic expenses. Individuals who conduct a successful internship may also be able to contribute paid stories for the site in the future.

Please send a resume and up to three clips to AdamDylan@rawstory.com with "INTERN" in the subject line.

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RAW STORY is seeking a web development intern for summer 2006.

Interns will gain invaluable experience in real world applications. This will include: maintaining a dynamically updated web site, mailing lists, forums, web advertising, user interfaces and delivery of email campaigns & newsletters. The internship is ideal for individuals who work well with limited guidance and are interested in pursuing a career in web development.

Skill set should include:

* PHP
* SQL/MySQL Relational Database interface experience
* HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, Flash
* User interface design/development

Interns need not be based in D.C. We have employees all over the U.S. (most of which work from their homes). The intern will work with Raw Story publisher Toby Slingerland.

The positions will be unpaid. Raw Story will cover telephone and other basic expenses. Individuals who conduct a successful internship may be considered for full or part-time paid positions.

Please send a resume and up to three sites you've worked with (along with the details of your work) to AdamDylan@rawstory.com with "INTERN" in the subject line.

Two years ago, on Feb. 1, 2004, I started a site called "Raw Story," which drew snickers from people at work, where I was filing medical records for my father.

"Is that a porn site?" they asked.

Today, we're recognized as a preeminent source of honest news. We welcome more than 300,000 visitors a day, and reach an array of some of the most important minds on Capitol Hill. We brought the Downing Street minutes to the United States; we revealed secretive pre-war operations by the U.S. military, and we gave you an inside glimpse into the CIA leak investigation.

After two years, I'm finally starting to be able to catch my breath. I wanted to update you on the latest developments at Raw Story and talk about where we'll be going this year and the months to come.

First off, the redesign. It's coming. Those of you who have followed Raw Story assiduously know we had a bungled first stab at a new look -- and promised that we would roll out a more convenient design for readers soon. We're confident the rollout will occur in the next month or so. We're putting the finishing touches on it now, and have taken into account some of your best criticisms, namely that the new look made it harder to get all the news at a quick glance. To solve that problem, we've added a section of "breaking news" headlines near the top of the page in the new look.

Secondly, ad-free accounts. This was harder than we thought. We're still finishing this up -- the programming is done -- we're just trying to finalize the details to make sure it automates right. Those of you who donated $50 or more in our fall drive will get ad-free accounts once they're complete. Trust me, you want something that works -- and it should be worth the wait -- ad-free accounts will dramatically speed up page loading speed. The accounts will go for $4 a month, and your purchase of an account will help pay our incredible team.

Masthead updates: I've decided to split my position -- formerly editor and publisher of Raw Story -- into two jobs, beginning the formal process of separating the business from editorial end and allowing me to focus more seriously on reporting. Toby Slingerland joins Raw Story as Publisher and Daniel O'Connor as Vice President for Business Development. Raw Story also welcomes two new freelance writers -- Carlos Miller and Melissa McEwan. Carlos has a background in police reporting; Melissa keeps a great blog called Shakespeare's Sister at ShakespearesSister.Blogspot.com.

Raw Story is also proud to announce that Steve Clemons, of the Washington Note, has agreed to write periodic pieces for Raw Story. Steve is most recently known for his work exposing the history of John Bolton, who was appointed UN ambassador by President Bush after an internecine battle in the Senate. He brings with him a long history of thoughtful reporting and columns on prominent political figures and foreign policy.

Finally, we're aggressively seeking new advertisers to help us grow. Raw Story now ranks among the top 7,000 sites in the world -- now periodically breaking 5,000 -- with more than 300,000 unique visitors a day. We offer reasonable rates and reach an educated audience; details are available upon request. To inquire about advertising, please contact chris@rawstory.com. To inquire about content or syndication partnerships, or making major gifts, please contact dan@rawstory.com.

Thanks as always for your support. And a special thanks to Larisa, Avery, Muriel, Ron, Miriam, Jason, Melissa, Carlos, Nancy, John, Melinda, Hannah, Katie, Dara, Mike, Dan, Chris, Jesse, Al, Toby and all the anonymous tipsters who have turned Raw Story into a powerhouse for change. If you want to thank them yourself, consider a donation. We all appreciate your support (our mailing address if you prefer snail mail is Raw Story, PO Box 21050, Washington D.C., 20009).