POLITICO’s mission from the very beginning was to win the audience. We dedicate ourselves to providing accurate, nonpartisan, impactful information to the right people at the right time so that they can act with confidence and speed. We experiment to avoid being disrupted and we have fun disrupting others. And we are not afraid to risk failure if it means being the best at what we do.
The POLITICO Journalism Institute is an educational program (running from May 28, 2019-June 7, 2019) offering intensive, hands-on training for up to twelve university students or recent college graduates who are interested in covering government and politics.
Programming for PJI includes interactive sessions, panels with industry leaders, mentor pairings with POLITICO journalists and an opportunity for participants to have their work published by POLITICO. Throughout the program, PJI participants split their time between American University in Washington, D.C., and POLITICO headquarters in Arlington, VA. All costs for attending PJI, including room, board and transportation, are covered by POLITICO.
Applicants who are rising juniors or seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities will be given preference. Student members of minority journalism associations are encouraged to apply. After the PJI session, two students will be invited back for a three-month, paid internship in the POLITICO newsroom where they will write, edit and produce content.
Please include the following with your application:
- A one-page resume, plus a cover letter telling why you think you should be chosen.
- Links to PDFs for 3-6 clips of your best journalistic work.
- One letter of recommendation. Please attach a signed letter (on letterhead) from your reference, as a PDF.
- A PDF with a one- or two-paragraph pitch using the prompt below. This exercise allows you to demonstrate your skills in pitching a story idea to your editor:Select a story from POLITICO.com that you hypothetically would use as a basis for a follow-up story. Do basic research on the topic, then ‘pitch’ an idea in one or two paragraphs. Consider an angle not addressed in the initial report; then cite the original headline, byline and date of publication in your pitch; and be specific about the point of your follow-up story, including any organization or source you would reach out to. (Do not write the actual story, just write a pitch to demonstrate your news judgment and how well you can communicate your idea.)
Applications are due by 11:59 PM on January 14, 2019.
For more information, click here.
