News Assistant, Politics

WETA

3939 Campbell Ave, Arlington, Virginia, 22206, United States

Phone
:

Web
: weta.org

Job Category: Fellowships | Scholarship | Prizes,

Employment Type:

Salary: $22.00 per hour

Posted: 07.23.2026

The News Assistant program is designed to give recent college graduates practical experience in a broadcast news setting. During their tenure, News Assistants are exposed to all aspects of producing a nightly television news program. Over the course of the program, the Politics News Assistant may assist the Politics team with research, pre-interviews, guest booking, transcriptions, field shoots and tape production.

• Researching stories and potential interview subjects.
• Pre-interviewing potential guests.
• Booking guests for daily show production.
• Accompanying producers on field shoots.
• Assisting producers with tape production in the edit room.
• Perform related special projects or other duties as assigned.

• Excellent writing and research skills.
• Demonstrated interest in journalism and/or television production.
• Professional phone manner and solid administrative skills.
• Strong work ethic and effective time management.
• Knowledge of PBS News Hour's journalistic style

• Prior experience in a broadcast news setting preferred.
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience.

WETA and News Hour Productions are Washington, DC established media and news organizations. We are a largely local workforce based out of the Campbell Place office in Arlington, VA. WETA and News Hour Productions value employee flexibility when possible. Most positions based in our Arlington, VA office will be onsite or hybrid, depending upon the role.

WETA, the flagship public media station in the nation’s capital, produces and distributes content that informs, inspires, and enriches lives.

As the second-largest producing station for the public media system, WETA creates programming to explore history, arts, and culture, partnering with acclaimed filmmakers such as Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. National WETA productions include The American Revolution and Finding Your Roots, among many others. WETA is also home to PBS News, the primary daily, breaking, and special news producer for PBS.

Its broadcast productions include PBS News Hour, Washington Week with The Atlantic, Horizons from PBS News, and Compass Points from PBS News, as well as specials, documentaries, and a robust footprint across digital platforms.

Locally, WETA serves audiences across Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, through television, radio, and digital platforms. Audiences access WETA on broadcast channels WETA PBS, WETA UK, WETA Metro, WETA World, and WETA PBS Kids, and digitally through the free streaming platformWETA+. Listeners tune into WETA Classical, the exclusive home for classical music in the Greater Washington area, via radio, online, and the WETA Classical app.

Benefits | WETA

WETA and News Hour Productions are equal opportunity employers committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and internships. WETA and News Hour Productions make hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.