Reporting Intern, California (Spring 2027)

G0549 Politico LLC; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

POLITICO is seeking exceptional college students and recent graduates for its Spring 2027 reporting internship in Sacramento, California, reporting from the State Capitol. The intern will play a critical role in our coverage of the state legislative session and the governor.

You will work with the California Playbook team to write and produce our daily politics newsletter, and participate in all aspects of content creation from research to editing, with some work hours early mornings or late

Qualifications

• Passion for politics and California government.
• Ability to work early mornings or late evenings.
• Strong reporting and writing foundations.
• Excellent news judgment.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Entrepreneurial mindset.
• Prior newsroom experience.
• At least one professional news internship or job preferred.

Responsibilities

• Write and produce the daily California Playbook newsletter.
• Participate in research, reporting, writing, editing and aggregating.
• Some work may occur during the early morning hours or late in the evening.
• Contribute to reporting for both in-state and national audiences.
• Cover spot news around the State Capitol.

Skills

Reporting skills

Writing skills

Newsroom experience

Deadline-driven

Entrepreneurial mindset

Internship experience

Interviewing

Education

College student or recent graduate

Job description

Job Description: POLITICO is seeking exceptional college students and recent graduates for its Spring 2027 reporting internship in Sacramento, California reporting from the State Capitol. The intern will play a critical role in our coverage of the state legislative session and the governor.

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.

What You’ll Do:

• Work with our California Playbook team to write and produce our daily newsletter on politics in the nation’s largest state.
• Be involved in all aspects of content creation and production, including research, reporting, writing, editing and aggregating.
• Some of this work may occur during the early morning hours or late in the evening.
• Contribute to the reporting of a dynamic team covering policy and politics of California for both in-state and national audiences.
• Cover spot news in policy and politics in and around the State Capitol.

What You’ll Need:

• A passion for politics and policy and a thirst to learn about California politics and government.
• The ability to work early mornings or late in the evening to help with California Playbook.
• 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 CA politics 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: January-May 2027
• Pay: $23/hr
• Schedule: Hybrid, full-time 40 hours/week
• Location: Sacramento, CA
• Application deadline: Monday, October 26 2026 at 11:59pm EST

Submission Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• 3-5 original clips to showcase your experience.

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.

POLITICO strives to be the dominant source for politics and policy in power centers across every continent where access to reliable information, nonpartisan journalism and real-time tools creates, informs and engages a global citizenry. POLITICO's mission from the very beginning was to win the audience. We dedicate ourselves to providing accurate, non-partisan, impactful information to the right people at the right time so they can act with confidence and speed. We serve, better understand, and grow our influential audience by creating innovative products and tools that provide limitless value across the globe.