Military Veterans in Journalism is pleased to announce the opening of applications for its annual internship collaboration with NPR. As part of this collaboration, NPR will select one veteran as an intern on its Podcast Strategy and Digital Platforms teams for a six-month program beginning in October 2026 through April 2027.
This year’s internship program is an opportunity for veterans to learn the ins and outs of the strategic side of one of America’s top newsrooms, helping analyze and shape how and where audiences discover and engage with NPR’s award-winning content. The role offers a unique opportunity to explore NPR’s podcast and digital content strategy while building real-world skills in product thinking, project management, audience engagement and data-driven decision-making.
“At NPR, we place a lot of value on creating a work environment that includes diversity of voice and perspective,” said Christine Cox, Senior Learning Specialist with NPR’s Training and Early Career Programs. “We’ve been honored to work with the MVJ community in our past few internship cycles, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more veteran perspectives this year.”
Interns at NPR are given hands-on responsibilities from their first day and work alongside top professionals. The internship will be a 40 hour per week paid program at $20 per hour. This role is remote-permitted, with the option of working on-site where applicable. Our NPR internship collaboration is a great early career step for veterans working to advance within the journalism world – the participating intern will get valuable experience guiding coverage across platforms and learn from established storytellers and leaders at NPR.
Application deadline: July 10, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EDT
The first half of this internship will be spent with the Podcast Strategy team, while the second half will be with the Digital Platforms team. After working with these two distinct but interrelated teams, the participating intern will have an understanding of:
- How different NPR teams launch new projects and series
- The process of making and distributing editorial content across platforms, including the NPR App and homepage, newsletters and NPR Podcasts YouTube channel
- How content and product teams collaborate to plan and execute features to support both NPR’s content and audience needs
- How to evaluate what drives the success of different digital journalism initiatives
- How different platforms support engagement with the NPR audience
- Podcast engagement and audience growth best practice guidelines, growth experiments and platform content optimization
- Planning and coordination of cross-platform experiences for major news events, priority newsroom projects and major fundraising campaigns
Interested applicants should note what the NPR team is looking for:
- Enthusiasm for podcasts and familiarity with NPR’s content offerings
- Project management and leadership experience
- Strong written communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to cross-functional teams with varying priorities and needs
- Proven editorial or news judgment
- Familiarity with data analysis methodologies and best practices
- Demonstrated familiarity with key principles of computer science, software development or programming (front-end or back-end)
- Audio or video production experience is a bonus, but not required
- Experience in product development, UX design and/or software engineering a bonus
Interns are expected to work 40 hours per week for 6 months, beginning October 5, 2026 and ending April 16, 2027, and will be paid throughout the internship at a rate of $20 per hour. NPR provides interns with multiple benefits and amenities, including immediate eligibility to contribute electively to a Principal 403(b) retirement plan and access to the Transit Flexible Spending Account for commuter benefits, among others. Interns have access to professional development opportunities and can benefit from flexible work hours and telecommuting options.
Please see the full job description here for more information.
