Communications Internship

Job Description

Communications Internship | The MacArthur Justice Center (MJC)

The Tone:
This is a 10-12-week communications internship opportunity at The MacArthur Justice Center (MJC), located in Washington, D.C. MJC is a national nonprofit civil rights organization that advocates with people harmed by America’s criminal legal system. This role contributes to vindicating rights, elevating stories, and holding people with power accountable by leveraging strategic communications, public relations, and storytelling. Interns will play a part in changing hearts and minds to influence laws and policies.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Temporary (10-12 weeks, 40 hours/week)
• Location: Hybrid, Washington, D.C.
• Pay: $736 weekly (offset by external funding)
• Team: Reports to the Communications Director and works closely with the Communications Manager.
• Mission: To support strategic communications efforts that advance litigation, advocacy, and change goals for people harmed by the criminal legal system.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel), Canva (or interest in learning), WordPress (plus)

What You’ll Actually Do
• Media Relations Support: Assist in planning and executing media outreach activities, including researching target reporters, tracking engagement, and drafting materials like press releases and pitches.
• Content Research & Development: Conduct research on criminal legal system issues to support the creation of digital content, social media posts, and messaging.
• Media Monitoring & Reporting: Monitor and track earned media coverage, and update the media hits tracker regularly.
• Digital Content Maintenance: Draft and update website content, newsletters, and other digital resources.
• Educational Material Creation: Support the development of educational and outreach materials for both public and media audiences.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Preference for candidates who will be seniors or graduate students in the Fall 2026 semester studying public relations, communications, or journalism.
• Experience: Familiarity and experience with social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
• Skills: Excellent writing and editing skills, working knowledge of Microsoft Suite (Word and Excel), self-starter who approaches assignments with curiosity and creativity, openness to learning and feedback, good time management and ability to work within deadlines, and the ability to work well both independently and as part of a team.
• Bonus: Basic graphic design experience, particularly with Canva, or an interest in learning; experience with WordPress.