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Daniel Pearl Journalism Internship

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Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl

The Daniel Pearl Memorial Journalism Internship is a paid internship 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 Daniel Pearl Memorial Fund provides a $6,000 stipend to cover travel costs and other expenses associated with the internship.

View all winners of the Daniel Pearl Journalism Internship

Eligibility

The applicant should have extensive journalism experience, either as a student journalist, or as an intern at a newspaper, or a combination of the two. The intern 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 process for the Pearl Internship, candidates write a 500 word essay on how their work and career goals put those principles into practice.

The internship is normally undertaken during the summer following the award, although other options exist.  By accepting this award, the winner is committing to be available for a 10-week internship.  The Department of Communication reserves the right to withdraw the award if the length of the Daniel Pearl internship is attempted to be reduced. Those eligible for the internship include Stanford undergraduate and graduate students, including those completing their degree just prior to the start of the internship. Preference is given to undergraduate applicants.

After the internship, the intern returns to Stanford to meet with faculty and students to discuss the experience.

How to Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, five to eight of your best bylined clips (text or links), and a 500-word essay as a single pdf file to the Student Services Manager at kwheeler@stanford.edu . The essay should describe how your work and career goals put Daniel Pearl’s principles into practice:

•   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.

A committee of the Stanford journalism faculty evaluates the applicants. The Wall Street Journal makes the final decision. The application deadline for summer 2024 has passed.

2024 Daniel Pearl Intern: Itzel Luna

Itzel Luna is a junior majoring in Sociology with an emphasis in Data Science and minoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Luna is from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and her reporting has largely centered around activism, labor, and social justice. She has previously interned at USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and CalMatters. Most recently, she served as a news editor for The Stanford Daily.  

Read her winning essay