Daniel Pearl Journalism Internship
Daniel Pearl
The Daniel Pearl Memorial Journalism Internship is awarded annually to an outstanding Stanford student journalist, and commemorates the work of Daniel Pearl, a Stanford graduate who was kidnapped and murdered while working as a Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent in Pakistan in 2002.
The internship itself is in a foreign bureau of the Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal pays the salary of the intern, and the Daniel Pearl Memorial Fund provides an amount designed to cover travel, housing and other incidental costs associated with the internship.
2013 Daniel Pearl Intern: Riva Gold
Riva Gold
A Stanford Graduate Journalism student has been chosen as the 2013 Daniel Pearl Memorial Journalism Intern.
Riva Gold is working toward a Master’s Degree from the Graduate Program in Journalism in Stanford’s Department of Communication. She will work in the Hong Kong bureau of The Wall Street Journal this summer.
The internship was established to commemorate the work and ideals of Pearl, a Stanford graduate and Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002.
In an essay written as part of the application process, Gold noted that by reporting on broad social and political issues through the lens of ordinary people, “Daniel Pearl was able to unmask the diverse faces affected by … larger issues, and at the same time, exposed the common humanity in his sources.”
Gold is from Toronto, Canada. She graduated from McGill University in 2010 with honors, earning a joint degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies. Gold previously served as a news writer and content producer for The Mark News in Toronto, a news intern at Haaretz in Tel Aviv, and events writer for Star Media Group Digital in Toronto.
Since coming to Stanford, she has served as an intern for KQED, San Francisco’s public radio station, and as a staff writer for The Peninsula Press, a news project of the Graduate Program in Journalism.
A committee of Communication Department faculty members evaluated applicants for the internship. The final decision was made by The Wall Street Journal.
Pearl, a 1985 graduate of Stanford’s Department of Communication, was kidnapped in Karachi on Jan. 23, 2002, while working on a story retracing the steps of “shoe bomber” Richard Reid. A month later, on Feb. 21, his captors released a videotape of his slaying. He was 38.
Eligibility
The person selected should have extensive journalism experience, either as a student journalist, or as an intern at a newspaper, or a combination of both. The person will be selected on the basis of journalism qualifications and the degree to which he or she exemplifies the work of Daniel Pearl:
- A commitment to explaining different cultures to each other.
- An emphasis on the stories of ordinary people rather than those in positions of power.
- A focus in his or her writing on the dignity of individuals.
As part of the application for the Pearl Internship, applicants write an essay of about 500 words on how their work and career goals put into practice those principles.
The internship will normally be done during the summer following selection, although other times are possible. Those eligible for the internship include Stanford undergraduate and graduate students, including those completing a degree just before the internship. Preference is given to undergraduate applicants.
After the internship, the person selected returns to Stanford to meet with faculty and students and to discuss the experience.
There is no application form. Applicants send (print copies of) a cover letter, resume, a dozen of their best bylined clips and their essay to the Department of Communication, Attention: Internship Coordinator.
A committee of the Stanford journalism faculty evaluates the applicants. The Wall Street Journal makes the final decision.