Fall/Winter Intern - Politics and Here & Now

This is a Part Time Unpaid Internship

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide and that includes our interns.

From day one, interns at NPR are given real-world, hands-on responsibilities. Working alongside top professionals in the field, interns do meaningful work across a variety of departments at NPR.

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Program Duration: October 3, 2022 - April 14, 2023

As the Politics and Here & Now Intern, you’ll get to spend three months working on the Washington Desk learning the ins and outs of political reporting and the other there months with the Here & Now team learning what it means to work on a daily news operation.

The intern will join the Washington Desk just as its reporters covering the White House, Capitol Hill and other critical beats are gearing up to cover the midterms in November. Whichever party takes Congress, the team will be covering the House and Senate, as well the Biden administration, in depth and with vigor, and on all platforms - broadcast, digital and in the podcast space. As the NPR Politics intern, you will play a key role. The desk intern does research for reporters and editors, maintains our calendar of events, builds clipboards for radio pieces, builds digital story pages, logs interviews, fact-checks the NPR Politics Podcast and has the opportunity to write for the web. Candidates must have a demonstrated interest in journalism, as well as government and politics.

At Here and Now, the intern will report to NPR’s deputy managing editors in Washington, who shepherd the network’s daily news gathering operation. Most of your time will be spent working with the Washington-based Producer for Here & Now, the daily midday news program hosted and produced at WBUR in Boston. You’d assist with scripting, booking, reporting, and digital content creation. You’ll be expected to perform at a high level under deadline pressure – and love it!

INTERN RESPONSIBILITIES
• Maintain the Washington desk calendar
• Conduct research for editors and reporters
• Fact-check the NPR Politics Podcast
• Build clipboards, log tape and write digital posts
• Research a wide variety of topics for Here and Now
• Assist in studio recording
• Book on-air guests for the show
• Produce content for radio and digital platforms

WHO CAN APPLY?
• LOCATION: This internship will be onsite at our Washington, DC office.
• EDUCATION: Must be a current student in an accredited degree program or a recent graduate of no more than 12 months from the month of the start of the internship.

REQUIRED SKILLS
• Strong research skills
• Demonstrated interest in journalism, and in government and politics
• Computer literacy
• Good communication and organizational skills
• Ability to learn quickly
• Accuracy is a must.
• A keen intellectual curiosity and creative stripe are highly desired.
• Experience in a newsroom or in audio production (or both)

PREFERRED SKILLS
• Knowledge of NPR programming and platforms

SCHEDULE
• 40 hours per week, usually 9am-6pm

Applications close on Sunday, July 10th at 11:59 pm ET.

All applications must include a resume and cover letter to be considered. All interns must have authorization to work in the United States.