Military Veterans in Journalism is pleased to announce that NPR has selected Coast Guard Veteran Devin Speak to join its 2022 class of interns.
Devin Speak, a Coast Guard veteran and photojournalist, was selected for this year’s internship opportunity with NPR. Follow Devin’s work on his photography website or on Instagram!
Devin Speak is a photojournalist with a steadfast concern for climate change and social inequities. He is a protegé of the Associated Press’s Alex Sanz as part of MVJ’s mentorship program as well as a member of the Freelance Journalists Union. After his time in the United States Coast Guard, he took a deep-dive into academia at NYU where he graduated as valedictorian of his class in sustainability and peace & conflict studies. Speak is honored to have his photography in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and publications like The Intercept, as well as featured across his friend’s bands, fashion projects, businesses, and nonprofits.
“I’m very excited to learn from such an incredible organization and grateful for MVJ making the connection,” Speak said. He will join the Here & Now team for the first half of the program, where he will learn the ins and outs of NPR’s daily news operation. During the second half of his internship, Speak will switch to the NPR Politics team, where he will assist in covering the House, Senate and Biden administration across platforms.
“Devin joins us with a bounty of experience,” says Here & Now’s James Mastromarino. “He’s quickly learning the ins and outs of radio, and is a dogged reporter and fastidious researcher.”
Although Speak’s primary experience is in photojournalism, he said he is looking forward to improving his research and daily news production skills and having the chance to produce content across a variety of platforms with NPR.
“Our team at MVJ is incredibly grateful for NPR’s continued support of newsroom diversity via the inclusion of military veterans in its highly competitive internship program,” said Russell Midori, MVJ’s president. “We are excited to see Devin’s growth as part of their excellent team, and we encourage other newsrooms to step up in diversifying their staff.”
Speak is the third veteran to receive this intern position since the start of MVJ and NPR’s partnership in 2020.
