The Strickland Foundation has received 28 applications for internship with media companies under a sponsorship scheme meant to promote journalism as a career.

The scheme, launched in November, is planned to run over three years and the foundation is committed to sponsor six internships a year. Each sponsorship is for one year. The foundation considers the response to its first call for applications as quite positive.

Applicants had to specify the media organisations or companies of their choice, indicating their order of preference. Selection for placement will now be made through interviews by media organisations agreeing to take part in the scheme in consultation with the foundation.

Of the 28 applicants, 15 gave The Times and The Sunday Times as their first choice for internship. Three applied for internship with PBS, two with Malta Today and one with The Malta Independent.

However, six gave The Malta Independent as a second preference, with the rest of the applicants giving as first or second preference Medialink, One Productions, maltarightnow.com, Content House, di-ve.com, and Sunday Circle.

Order of preference in the allocation of the internships to the media organisations will be based on the size of circulation/audience and/or other criteria, such as potential for growth or innovative services which, in the opinion of the foundation, deserve support.

Selected interns will be expected to produce work related to two themes chosen by the foundation for the first year of the scheme - voluntary organisations and the promotion of human rights.