The recent merger between I-News, Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO will result in more journalism internship opportunities for Colorado State University- Pueblo students.

I-News is a nonprofit organization that specializes in in-depth investigative reporting.

They have partnered with RMPBS since I-News began in 2009, but with the merger the relationship is now being made official, according to a new release.

“This merger will ensure that important public service journalism can reach more Coloradoans who can use it to make a difference for the state’s future,” Laura Frank, executive director of I-News, said.

The partnership between I-News and RMPBS has many potential benefits to CSU-Pueblo and Pueblo Community College students who are interested in the field of investigative journalism.

“I-News is a five-person team that has extensive experience in journalism, so their integration into RMPBS means more internship opportunities for CSU-Pueblo and PCC students around journalism and in-depth research,” Amanda Mountain, the executive director of the Tim Gill Center for Public Media, said in an email.

It is too early to tell what new internships will be made available. However, I-News utilizes internships in research, writing and editing already. With the merger, these opportunities will continue and expand, Mountain said.

The exact number of new internships has yet to be determined, Mountain said, but the new internships available to CSU-Pueblo students are expected to be announced in the fall semester of 2013.

Aside from the merger, RMPBS is also active in developing a statewide internship program for public media. This program would include journalism, broadcast, promotions and advertising.

Having more internship opportunities available is important to the mass communications department at CSU-Pueblo.

“An internship is a critical piece in terms of access to that first job opportunity. Anytime the department gets more internship opportunities, it raises the quality because the students have more internships to choose from,” Samuel Ebersole, the chair of the mass communications department at CSU-Pueblo, said.

With this merger comes the opportunity for students to have access to working journalists, and to see what’s involved in creating something of that scope, Ebersole said. Most of what is accessible locally is just “snippets” of news compared to the in-depth journalism I-News provide.

One way I-News will bring this sort of journalism to CSU-Pueblo is by holding workshops on campus. For example, on March 21, I-News representatives will be in the Aspen Room of the Occhiato University Center to present their latest project, “Losing Ground.”

Because I-News is focused on community, it will have a different emphasis than a corporate employer might. They also bring a lot of credibility to campus because of their numerous Emmys and Pulitzer Prizes, Ebersole said.

The new merger could also provide opportunities for more local high-school journalism camps.

“I-News conducts high school journalism camps and this could be another opportunity to educate and empower Pueblo high school students sometime in the future,” Mountain said.

“We are all incredibly excited about this merger. Not just in Pueblo, but around the state as well,” Mountain said.