Newsroom Engineering Intern, Fall 2026 (HQ)

POLITICO

Posted 3 months ago

Internship

Arlington, Virginia

Hybrid

Smart Summary

Responsibilities

The intern will develop internal tools and prototypes to improve newsroom workflows for reporters and editors. They will also research workflow challenges and evaluate the accuracy and risk of AI-assisted editorial processes.

Qualifications

You have a blend of journalistic instincts and technical aptitude, with a strong interest in how emerging technologies like AI can support journalism. You are comfortable collaborating with diverse teams and possess the ability to quickly identify workflow challenges and contribute to practical technology solutions.

Must Have Skills for ATS

AI

prototyping

coding

Job Description

Job Description:

POLITICO is seeking a fall Newsroom Engineering intern who wants to help reporters and editors solve real workflow problems with practical, responsible technology, with the goal to help shape the future of newsroom tools and workflows. This opportunity sits at the intersection of journalism, product thinking, and technology, supporting experiments and internal tools that help reporters and editors work more effectively. You’ll help research newsroom needs, code real tools, and evaluate AI-assisted workflows in newsroom contexts. 

Who You Are: 

  • You have both journalistic instincts and a technical aptitude 

  • You like understanding how reporters and editors work, where workflows break down, and how tools can help. 

  • You’re thoughtful about emerging technologies, including AI, and interested in how they can support journalism 

  • You’re comfortable collaborating across multiple stakeholders, especially with reporters, editors, product managers and engineers 

What You’ll Do: 

  • Own at least one scoped project that improves how reporters or editors work 

  • Contribute to other Newsroom Engineering projects by writing code, building prototypes, testing features and documenting technical decisions 

  • Research and document workflow challenges facing reporters and editors  

  • Help identify opportunities to improve newsroom processes and internal tools. 

  • Test prototypes and internal tools with realistic reporting and editing scenarios. 

  • Help evaluate AI-assisted workflows for accuracy, usefulness, risk and editorial fit. 

  • Participate in conversations about responsible technology usage in newsroom products and workflows 

What You’ll Need: 

  • Demonstrated interest in Washington, politics and policy 

  • Ability to work quickly and efficiently under deadlines 

  • Entrepreneurial mindset 

  • Proven experience in a newsroom. At least one professional news media internship or job preferred 

  • Familiarity with basic technical concepts, digital tools, or prototyping workflows is preferred 

  • Interest in AI and emerging technologies as they relate to journalism and editorial work 

Why Intern at POLITICO? 

  • Be a part of the biggest stories in Washington as they unfold, with a behind-the-scenes view of how news gets made  

  • Build your skills through biweekly intern-specific trainings, newsroom sessions and direct feedback

  • Understand how journalists actually work at one of the largest political newsrooms in the world, spot where technology can make a difference, and test ideas quickly enough to learn from them 

Internship details: 

  • Dates: September-December 2026 

  • Pay: $23/hr 

  • Schedule: Hybrid, full-time 40 hours/week 

  • Location: Arlington, VA (HQ)

  • Application deadline: Monday, June 8, 2026 at 11:59pm EST 

Submission Materials: 

  • Resume 

  • Cover Letter 

  • 3-5 original clips to showcase your experience. Please attach as links that are publicly accessible to finished products or codebases. 

  • Please attach all supporting materials directly to your application under the Resume/CV section. 

We value our people. Click here for more on what we offer and what it’s like to work for POLITICO.


Let’s keep in touch. You can view our list of open positions here.

About Us.

POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power. Since 2007, we have delivered intelligence that anticipates tomorrow's headlines, not reports on yesterday's news. As politics has increasingly become the defining force of our era, our work has never been more vital.

Cabinet secretaries and Ministers start their mornings with our analysis. CEOs shape strategy around our reporting. Advocacy leaders rely on our insights to move policy. We deliver the straightforward facts and clear-eyed analysis they need to navigate the most complex political landscape of our lifetimes.

Our 1,100+ publishing professionals across the world's key democratic capitals—Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York—form the world's premier politics and policy newsroom. We tell the story of how power really works by explaining who wields it and how they plan to exercise it, connecting dots others miss and delivering scoops from sources others don't even know exist.

Innovation has always been a core tenet of our story. At launch, we bet that depth would trump scale, that talent would trump traffic, and that politics would become central to modern life. In 2011, we made another bet and launched POLITICO Pro to help decision-makers understand the business of government, transforming both how they shape government action and the business of journalism itself.

These bets have made POLITICO the most successful digital news startup of its generation and the indispensable resource for leaders who shape the future. Today, we are a rarity in media: a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization.

POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a family-owned transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York. Axel Springer is dedicated to shaping the future of journalism in the free world, believing that a free and informed society is essential to democracy. The company’s guiding principles - first articulated as  The Essentials by founder Axel Springer in the aftermath of World War II - remain a cornerstone of the company’s foundation today. Learn more about Axel Springer.

Posting date:

2026-05-08

Title:

Newsroom Engineering Intern, Fall 2026 (HQ)

POLITICO

POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power. Since 2007, we have delivered intelligence that anticipates tomorrow’s headlines, not reports on yesterday’s news. As politics has increasingly become the defining force of our era, our work has never been more vital. Cabinet secretaries and Ministers start their mornings with our analysis. CEOs shape strategy around our reporting. Advocacy leaders rely on our insights to move policy. We deliver the straightforward facts and clear-eyed analysis they need to navigate the most complex political landscape of our lifetimes. Our 1,100+ publishing professionals across the world’s key democratic capitals—Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York—form the world’s premier politics and policy newsroom. We tell the story of how power really works by explaining who wields it and how they plan to exercise it, connecting dots others miss and delivering scoops from sources others don’t even know exist. Innovation has always been a core tenet of our story. At launch, we bet that depth would trump scale, that talent would trump traffic, and that politics would become central to modern life. In 2011, we made another bet and launched POLITICO Pro to help decision-makers understand the business of government, transforming both how they shape government action and the business of journalism itself. These bets have made POLITICO the most successful digital news startup of its generation and the indispensable resource for leaders who shape the future. Today, we are a rarity in media: a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization. POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a family-owned transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York. Axel Springer is dedicated Political professionals read POLITICO. Public policy professionals need POLITICO. And those who hunger to better understand Washington and government power centers around the globe go to POLITICO first.
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