The POLITICO Fellows

The POLITICO Fellows is a competitive program offering a select group of enterprising journalists or other professionals a front-row seat to the biggest storylines dominating American and international politics at a time of historic political disruption – and a jump-start to a career in political and policy journalism. Candidates with at least two years of relevant experience will be considered for a 12-month term covering the power dynamics and the policy debates – on climate, health care, technology and more – driving decision-making at the White House, Congress, federal agencies and key state capitals for POLITICO’s influential audiences.

This professional fellowship program features regular training sessions and mentoring. Participants will receive total compensation of $60,000, plus benefits, and will be considered for an open position in the POLITICO newsroom upon successful completion of the program. POLITICO chooses Fellows for terms starting in either January or June. Fellows will work from our HQ in Arlington, Va.

We’re looking for candidates with strong writing and analytical skills, the ability to work on a team and a passion to learn and grow at the premier news organization covering the intersection of politics and policy in the United States and beyond.

What You'll Need:

• Cover letter, sharing your story and stating your interest in politics or policy-focused journalism, plus any policy expertise
• One-page résumé reflecting at least two years of paid newsroom or other professional experience related to policy, analysis or journalism
• Two references (list names, email addresses, phone numbers and relationship to the applicant)
• A letter of recommendation submitted as a PDF (please submit with the other documents in your application. The recommender could also send it directly to careers@politico.com)
• Three work samples (i.e. published news stories or other articles, video, or audio)

Applications are due November 7, 2025 by 5:00pm EST.

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

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. Learn more about Axel Springer.