Editorial Graphics & Education Desk Internship - Fall 2026

NPR•Washington, DC

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

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. 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. This position could be a good fit for someone experienced with graphics and data analysis who wants to improve their reporting skills, or for a reporter with some graphics experience who wants to build stronger graphics/coding chops. This internship consists of two parts. Each part will be hosted by a different team: Editorial Graphics (October-January): You will work on information graphics, data visualizations and special story presentations, working in close collaboration with reporters and editors in our newsroom. Work assignments will vary depending on team needs and news demands. The intern can expect to hone their data visualization, coding and data reporting skills with the team’s mentorship. Our work this term will include coverage of the midterm elections. Education (January-April): The education team, part of NPR’s Culture and Society desk, focuses on how learning happens, through radio stories, video posts and social media. During your rotation you will work with our 10-member team, pitching and researching stories, writing for NPR.org and the NPR Ed newsletter, helping correspondents line up interviews for their stories and helping the editorial team plan and strategize. You may even help the team launch the next phase of the NPR Student Podcast Challenge. This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff is defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.

Requirements

Must have excellent research and written/verbal communication skills
Ability to work independently, quickly, and accurately
Easy to work and collaborate with, even on tight deadlines
Demonstrated interest in culture, society and education, and creative storytelling
Audio production
Previous experience in a newsroom (or similar) setting
Interest in growth and willingness to respond to professional feedback
Demonstrated experience making information graphics and data visualizations for the Web. Ideally, this includes experience with front-end web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, D3) and designing responsively (from big desktop screens to mobile devices)
Comfort with spreadsheets and data (Google Sheets, CSV, JSON, etc.). Data analysis and scripting (Python or similar) skills a plus
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.

Responsibilities

Design/develop information graphics and data visualizations, in close collaboration with reporters, editors and creative technologists, on a variety of time scales (from short-turnaround requests to longer-term projects)
Research, analyze and visualize data for reporting
Report and writing digital and/or radio stories
Assist team reporters and correspondents with research and reporting
Other duties as assigned

Benefits

Interns are eligible to make elective contributions to the NPR 403(b) retirement plan.
Transit Commuter benefits through HealthEquity
Membership with the Signal Financial Federal Credit Union
Free access to on-site Wellness Center (at DC Headquarters)
Free fitness center membership (at DC Headquarters)
Secure bike facilities (at DC Headquarters)
Onsite cafeteria (at DC Headquarters)
Employee Assistance Program with up to six face-to-face counseling sessions per issue
Global Guardian worldwide assistance
Business Travel Accident coverage
Holiday pay for 10 observed holidays plus one floating holiday per year (for interns working 30+ hours/week)
Accrue 3.08 hours of sick leave each pay period with no waiting period (for interns working 30+ hours/week)
Professional development opportunities
Flexible work hours
Telecommuting options