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Issue One offers Summer Policy and Programs Research Internship

Company Description

Issue One is a leading cross-partisan political reform group in Washington, seeking to unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix the political system.

Some recent projects produced by Issue One’s research team include major investigations into the dysfunction in Congress, the outsized role played by super PACs and dark money groups in congressional elections, the special interests funding dark money groups, the fundraising pressures imposed on legislative leaders by the political parties, and questionable spending by political groups that have been widely criticized as slush funds. 

Its reports have been widely cited by media organizations including Bloomberg, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, CNN, The Daily Beast, Fox News, The Hill, HuffPost, MinnPost, NBC News, Newsy, NPR, the Orlando Sentinel, Politico, ProPublica, Roll Call, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Free Beacon.

Job Description

Issue One is seeking a Summer Policy & Programs Research Intern who can jump into campaign finance data, IRS filings and other online databases to help tell compelling stories about the need for political reforms that increase transparency and government accountability. This internship can be structured as either a full-time or part-time opportunity to be part of the Issue One team this summer. 

The ideal candidate will love spreadsheets as much as writing term papers. She or he will also have an insatiable appetite for ferreting out interesting data from federal filings, academic research, and the far corners of the internet. Ideally, she or he will also have a good understanding of how politics works as well as some experience doing journalism or other writing projects in college. Bonus points if you already know how to analyze data using pivot tables! 

This intern will report to Michael Beckel, Issue One’s manager of research, investigations, and policy analysis, who, prior to joining Issue One in 2017, previously worked as an investigative reporter for nearly a decade at organizations including the Center for Public Integrity, Center for Responsive Politics and Mother Jones.

The Issue One Summer Policy & Programs Research Intern will: 

  • Conduct money-in-politics and legislative research and writing projects 
  • Monitor news and updates related to money in politics 
  • Assist the Policy & Programs team with legislative outreach 
  • Help with other tasks as required 

Qualifications 

  • Currently enrolled in an undergraduate program, or a recent graduate 
  • Demonstrated interest in campaign finance reform, government and policy 
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills 
  • Excellent computer skills (Mac and PC, MS Office, including Microsoft Excel; Google Docs/Sheets) 
  • Strong organizational abilities 
  • Outstanding attention to detail 
  • Ability to work independently, as well as with a team

This intern will be expected to work 9AM – 5PM, Monday through Thursday, and will be compensated at a rate of $15 per hour.

How to Apply

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume as a single document to jobs@issueone.org with “Issue One Summer Research Internship” in the subject line.

Our Journalism Concentration & Minor

The Hunter College journalism program is offered as a concentration or a minor within the Department of Film & Media Studies. Its curriculum is built around production courses in journalism and analytical courses in media studies. Learn more about our course requirements.

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