The David Burke Media and Public Service Internship was established in 2008 in honor of Tufts Alumnus David Burke, as a tribute not only to his impressive career in public service and media but also to his commitment to mentorship and experiential learning. The program is jointly sponsored by the Communications and Media Studies Program and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. A 1957 Tufts graduate, Burke has served in a variety of key journalism and public service positions during his career: Chief of Staff for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Chief of Staff for Governor Hugh Carey (D-NY), Executive Vice President of ABC News, President of CBS News, Member of the Board of the Dreyfus Corporation, and Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
In the summer of 2008, CMS selected two Burke Interns – Kelly Rizzetta (A08), who interned at WBUR Radio (the Boston NPR news station), and James Gerber (A08), who interned in the political unit at ABC News in Washington, D.C. The 2009 Burke Intern, Jess Bidgood, is pictured below. Following her summer internship, Bidgood continued to work in the newsroom at WBUR Radio that fall. She is now working for the Boston bureau of The New York Times.
The 2012 David Burke Internship guidelines will be announced in the spring 2012 semester.
Jess Bidgood during her stint at WBUR Radio.
