Job Description:

POLITICO is seeking exceptional college students and recent graduates for its Fall 2026 reporting internship in Sacramento, California. The intern will play a critical role in our coverage of the climate, energy and environmental issues across the state.

Who You Are: 

You’re an enterprising and creative journalist eager to report and write for an audience of political and policy junkies in the largest state, covering developments in climate, energy and environment from the Capitol. 

What You’ll Do: 

• Work with our California policy editors and reporters to produce newsletters, briefs and enterprise stories  

• Cover spot news in policy and politics in and around the State Capitol 

What You’ll Need: 

• Demonstrated interest in California politics and policy 

• Passion for energy and climate issues preferred 

• Strong foundational reporting and writing skills 

• Excellent news judgment 

• 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. 

Why Intern at POLITICO? 

• Cover the biggest energy and climate stories as they unfold, with a behind-the-scenes view of how news gets made  

• Be a full-time reporter. Work independently (and with your team) on breaking news, enterprise, newsletters and more 

• Report in the field as needed 

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

Internship details: 

• Dates: September-December 2026 

• Pay: $23/hr 

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

• Location: Sacramento, CA 

• 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 PDFs or links that are publicly accessible. 

• 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.

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