Planet Money & The Sunday Story Internship - Fall 2026

Internship Program Duration: October 5th, 2026 - April 16th, 2027

Application Instructions: Applications close on Sunday, June 21st at 11:59 pm ET.

Intro to Position

NPR is seeking an intern to support its narrative, longform podcasting work with two award-winning podcast teams: The Sunday Story from Up First and The Indicator from Planet Money.

This internship is an opportunity to work with two different teams on all aspects of podcast production — assessing pitches, researching, booking and prepping interviews, tape gathering, writing and assembling drafts, editing audio, and scoring. You will be exposed to the podcast production process from start to finish — seeing episodes go from pitch to publish. This is a fun and demanding 6-month role as an active collaborator on two ambitious teams — 3 months will be spent with The Indicator from Planet Money and 3 months will be spent with The Sunday Story from Up First.

During the Indicator from Planet Money rotation, you will mostly work with the Indicator team, but you will get to see and participate in the full Planet Money suite of production across platforms. You’ll see how the team nerds out and chooses stories across two podcasts, a TikTok channel, a newsletter and broadcast. You can help us with some of it, maybe even all of it, if that’s what excites you. We make five short weekly podcasts on the Indicator, where every day is a dash to do the best we can, to find the smartest guests, the freshest insights, the most creative opening line. Planet Money makes two longer episodes a week and spends hours and hours in narrative editing mode honing the plot twists or perfecting the right audio mix to land a joke. Both shows take a lot of research, which we can always use help with. We're experimenting with how to use video and are doing clips, so there's plenty to pitch in with and learn on that front. We love to teach, and we're looking for someone eager to learn by jumping into the various projects we have.

At The Sunday Story from Up First, you will have the chance to work with some of the best reporters and correspondents across NPR and our member stations. Each week on Sundays in the Up First podcast, we do a deep dive into a single story or topic. We work collaboratively with every desk in NPR’s newsroom to bring the best reporting to NPR’s largest news podcast audience. Our goal when we work with an intern is to provide them an opportunity to lead production on an episode from start to finish. So, by the end of the rotation with The Sunday Story team, you should have a lead producer credit on at least one episode of the show to add to your portfolio.

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.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research for stories we’re working on
• Contribute to interview and script preparation
• Log taped interviews and/or correct computer-aided transcriptions
• Book guests and arrange interviews via phone, Zoom, tape syncs, ISDN, etc.
• Provide ideas and feedback at pitch and editorial meetings
• Write digital copy for NPR.org and social media
• Mix and score audio for episodes and promos
• Assist in fact-checking
• Give feedback on unfinished episodes in group edits
• Find archival tape for episodes
• Monitor team inboxes and social media accounts for feedback from listeners for ideas to pitch or feedback to heed.
• All work of the intern is to be performed under the close supervision of the host teams

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Qualifications

• Excellent writing, research, and analytical skills.
• Knowledge of, or at least a keen interest, in economics and/or current events.
• Knowledge and comfort with a Digital Audio Workstation (ProTools preferred but not required)
• Professional phone presence for when representing the shows while guest booking.
• Ability to multitask: You will be asked to do many things at once and must be able to allocate your time efficiently.
• Ability to work independently, quickly, and accurately, while under deadline pressure.
• Web skills, including knowledge of basic web publishing software and social media strategy basics.
• Ability to remain calm and communicate clearly on tight deadlines and in remote/virtual work environments.

Application Requirements

• Resume
• Cover Letter
  • Tell us why Planet Money and The Sunday Story? How will this internship serve your longer-term career goals? If you don’t know what those are yet, be honest, and tell us how this internship will help you in general.
  • Show us your writing style and give us a sense that you listen to the shows. Choose a recent episode or either podcast and imagine you had been in the pitch meeting for it. What would you personally based on your experience and knowledge and interests have proposed we add or change or remove from the episode and why? We deeply value constructive criticism. It’s a part of the job. Let us have it as you would on the job, which is to say, with kindness, care and actionable directness.
  • Be sure to tell us if there’s anything we might not know from your resume about your background, interests or skills that could help us do better work.
• In your letter, please include the following:
• Writing OR (<5 min) Audio Sample

Education Requirements

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.

Work Location & Requirements

NPR Remote-Permitted: This is a remote-permitted role. This role is based out of our New York office, but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves. You will have the option of working (a) remotely from a location of your choosing within the United States that is supported by NPR; (b) on-site at an NPR facility, based on the availability of desks and approval from NPR; or (c) a combination of both. Regardless of where you choose to work from, you may be expected to travel to other locations from time to time to perform the duties of your position.

Job Type

This is a full-time, non-exempt internship.

Schedule

This is a full-time internship with a standard schedule of Monday through Friday. The below schedule is flexible as agreed upon between you and your manager.

• At Planet Money: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM ET
• At The Sunday Story: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET

Compensation

Hourly Rate The U.S.-based anticipated hourly rate for this opportunity is $20.00 per hour. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum hourly rate NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR offers interns a robust package of benefits and resources designed to foster their professional development and support their overall well-being. Interns are eligible to make elective contributions to the NPR 403(b) retirement plan. As an intern, you have access to Transit Commuter benefits through HealthEquity, which allow you to set aside pre tax funds for eligible commuting expenses. You are also eligible for membership with the Signal Financial Federal Credit Union, giving you access to a range of financial services and resources. At our DC Headquarters, interns enjoy free access to on-site Wellness Center, free fitness center membership, secure bike facilities, garage parking, and onsite cafeteria. Other benefits include the Employee Assistance Program with up to six face-to-face counseling sessions per issue, Global Guardian worldwide assistance, and Business Travel Accident coverage. Additionally, interns working 30 or more hours per week receive holiday pay for 10 observed holidays plus one floating holiday per year and accrue 3.08 hours of sick leave each pay period with no waiting period. NPR also supports career growth and work-life balance through professional development opportunities, flexible work hours, and telecommuting options.

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

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