Chicago Public Media welcomes seven 2026 summer interns

Chicago Public Media said it will bring seven rising journalists into its newsroom for the 2026 summer internship program, placing them across WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times through early autumn. The class includes interns focused on audio news, engaged journa

On a Tuesday in June, Chicago Public Media announced it is opening its newsroom to a new group of young journalists for the summer.

The 2026 intern class will spend the season contributing across the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ through early autumn. They will be embedded in teams working in audio, engagement, photography, video and news.

Chicago Public Media said the class includes seven rising journalists:

Annabelle Rivera joins WBEZ as an audio news intern. A 2025 graduate of DePaul University, she majored in journalism with a minor in international politics. She previously served as editor in chief of Pueblo. the bilingual Spanish-English sister publication of 14 East. the university’s magazine. as well as a digital journalist at Community Sentinel Media. Rivera also creates content on TikTok, covering local and trending Chicago-area topics. This summer. she said she is looking forward to diving into audio and learning more about the production that goes into a talk show. while also hoping to perfect her at-home coffee. explore neighborhoods in the city and spend more time outside.

Alina Edwards is coming to WBEZ as an engaged journalism intern. A 2025 graduate of Wellesley College, she majored in English and minored in cinema and media studies. Edwards previously interned with NPR on the Culture Desk and NPR Music. and with WETA and NewsHour Productions on the communications team. She said she is excited to work with the team and contribute to journalism that builds meaningful connections between people. In her free time. she enjoys visiting libraries and watching movies. and she hopes to spend some time at the beach this summer.

Elijah James will join the Sun-Times as a news desk intern. A senior at the University of Missouri. he is majoring in journalism with an emphasis in cross-platform editing and producing. and will complete a minor in Black studies. James previously interned at the Chicago Defender as a sports journalism intern and worked at KOMU 8. covering local and collegiate sports across print. broadcast and social media. He also serves as president of the Eta Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. James said he is passionate about telling local stories and amplifying community voices. and hopes to use his summer to make a tangible impact. Outside of work. he enjoys spending time with friends and watching movies. and he hopes to catch a White Sox game this season.

Hunter Minné joins WBEZ as a talk shows intern. A recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago, he majored in multimedia journalism and minored in political science. Previously. Minné served as deputy news editor for The Loyola Phoenix. the university’s paper. and also brings experience from the Irish American News. Minné said he is passionate about how journalism contributes to society and hopes to spend the summer learning the ins and outs of audio production. Off the clock, he plans to thrift, practice his sewing skills and bike.

Jeremy Battle is joining the Chicago Sun-Times as a photojournalism intern. A recent graduate of DePaul University, he majored in journalism and minored in photography and media studies. Battle most recently interned at Block Club Chicago. where he was the organization’s first photojournalism intern. and he served as director of multimedia and photography for The DePaulia. the university’s student newspaper. Battle said the best part of photography is becoming embedded in the communities he shoots. He spends his free time on photo walks and at the movies. and he looks forward to shooting across the city this summer.

Jinny Kim will join WBEZ as a talk shows intern. A recent graduate from the University of Chicago with her master’s in computational analysis and public policy. she brings experience from the Chicago Maroon. the university paper. as a data reporter and editor. She also has fellowship and internship experience at the Local Data Journalism Initiative and South Side Weekly. Kim said she is eager to explore audio as a way to bring stories to life and looks forward to learning how a newsroom collaborates while supporting the team this summer. Her downtime includes printmaking, Korean food and watching dystopian TV.

Kieran Stover joins the Sun-Times as a vertical video intern. A senior at DePaul University. he is majoring in film and television with a concentration in documentary production and a minor in journalism. Stover is the director of multimedia at The DePaulia. He previously worked as a production intern at Truth and Documentary and as an audio and visual intern at the Illinois Green Alliance. Stover said he is excited to explore new video formats within a newsroom environment this summer and to gain experience in public media. When he is not in the office, he can be found running on the Lakefront Trail, biking or hiking.

For Chicago Public Media, the timing is deliberate: these interns will be embedded on teams across disciplines through early autumn, giving the newsroom a full summer of new energy—while giving the interns an up-close view of how public media is made across formats.

Chicago Public Media WBEZ Chicago Sun-Times 2026 summer interns audio news intern engaged journalism intern photojournalism intern vertical video intern talk shows intern