Science Desk & Short Wave Internship - Fall/Winter 2025

Position Overview

• Location Type: Not specified
• Job Type: Internship
• Salary: Not specified

NPR is a mission-driven multimedia organization producing award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with public radio stations nationwide. We are committed to innovation, collaboration, and a workplace where diverse voices are heard and inclusion is key.

Intro to Position

• Program Duration: October 6th, 2025 - April 17th, 2026

NPR is seeking a detail-oriented, creative, and curious editorial intern to join the Science desk and Short Wave podcast teams. The intern will spend the first half of the internship with the Science desk and the second half with the Short Wave podcast team. This role offers a comprehensive experience in journalism, covering research, fact-checking, writing, reporting, and production. A science background and a sense of humor are considered advantageous.

Science Desk (First 14 Weeks)

• Report and produce digital stories for three sections: Shots (domestic health), Goats and Soda (global health and development), and general science.
• Pitch story ideas based on news developments.
• Accept assignments from desk editors.
• Assist in reporting stories by NPR correspondents.
• Cover breaking events and press briefings.
• Assess scientific papers for newsworthiness.
• Produce stories for NPR’s website in a timely manner.

Short Wave Podcast (Second 14 Weeks)

• Embed with NPR’s flagship science podcast, Short Wave, which covers a wide range of sciences and aims to make science accessible and relevant.
• Apply journalistic skills to audio formats, contributing to the co-creation of the Short Wave podcast four times a week.
• Tasks will include those outlined for the Science desk, adapted for audio content.

This is an NPR editorial role governed by the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance.

Intern Opportunities & Support

The intern will have the opportunity to experience and support the work of the team in the following areas:

• Pitch story and episode ideas for both the Science desk and Short Wave.
• Report and produce stories on general science, domestic health, and global health.
• Assess science papers and other research developments for newsworthiness.
• Fact-check Short Wave episodes (during the second half of the internship).
• Help research, book guests, and write interview questions for original, enterprise reporting on the Science desk and for Short Wave.
• Assist in episode audio production and promotion (during the second half of the internship).
• Collaborate with NPR Science desk reporters.