John DiStaso Political Fellowship
The John DiStaso Political Fellowship is a one-semester paid position at Hearst ABC affiliate WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH. Our Fellow will work closely with members of our political team on several projects including daily political coverage, our 2022 and 2024 election-related coverage, and our weekly political show, “CloseUP”. The Fellowship will be awarded to a motivated junior or senior in college who is interested in pursuing a career in political journalism.
More about John DiStaso
John DiStaso was the most experienced political journalist in New Hampshire. He was often referred to as the “dean” of New Hampshire’s political press corps. John died from complications of pancreatic cancer on April 21, 2022, at the age of 68. Throughout his career, DiStaso interviewed four sitting presidents and countless presidential candidates while covering 11 New Hampshire primaries. John spent much of his career working for New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, “The Union Leader”. He spent the last seven years of his career working for WMUR, where he wrote daily for WMUR.com regularly breaking stories. He also often appeared on WMUR-TV to provide analysis for political stories.
The opportunity
In this political fellowship, you’ll play a meaningful role on the experienced political team of WMUR. You’ll follow in John’s footsteps working on daily political coverage. You’ll learn from John’s enduring legacy, as well as the experienced political team at WMUR to gain the knowledge and experience to launch a successful career in political journalism.
How to qualify
- Working toward a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Journalism, Communications or a related degree
- Experience in journalism through internships or college media
- Goal to work in the field of journalism
- Excellent writing and research skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Deadline driven
- Willingness to work various shifts including nights, weekends and holidays
- You also need to have a strong academic record, and two recommendations from faculty or internship supervisors
How to apply
Please apply on our career site. Include the following documentation in your application:
- Include the following documentation in your application:
- A letter expressing interest in the fellowship and promoting your candidacy
- A summary of your commitment to journalism (one page, single-spaced)
- A current resume citing work experience and accomplishments
- A complete academic transcript through your completed semester
- Two academic or professional recommendations
- Finalists will be interviewed by phone and either in-person or via video conference
Application deadlines
For the fall fellowship, applications are due by June 15th. For the spring fellowship, applications are due by September 15th. Decisions regarding fall selection will be made in July and decisions regarding spring selection will be made in October.
About UsHearst Television (HTV) owns and/or operates 35 television and two radio stations serving 27 media markets across 39 states reaching nearly 25 million U.S. television households. HTV is recognized as one of the industry's premier broadcasting companies and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service.We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. we do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, creed, national, origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
Skills Required
- Working toward a bachelor's degree in Political Science, Journalism, Communications, or a related degree
- Experience in journalism through internships or college media
- Goal to work in the field of journalism
- Excellent writing and research skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Deadline driven
- Willingness to work various shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays
- Strong academic record
- Two recommendations from faculty or internship supervisors
Hearst Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Hearst and has not been reviewed or approved by Hearst.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical plan choice, full in-network preventive coverage, dental and vision, telemedicine, prescription coverage, and fertility resources. Mental-health resources and other wellbeing services (e.g., therapy sessions, crisis support, virtual physical therapy, and chronic-condition programs) further strengthen the health offering.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as meaningful through a 401(k) plan with company matching and Hearst covering plan administration fees. Performance bonuses are also noted as available in some roles, adding an additional rewards component beyond base pay.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits include paid holidays, paid sick days, and vacation time with a commonly cited annual range, alongside paid parental leave and family medical leave. A remote work program and flexibility signals are also included as part of the overall rewards experience.
Hearst Insights
What We Do
Hearst is a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; transportation assets including CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; 33 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California, which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York); more than 300 magazines around the world, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Men's Health and Car and Driver, and digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital entertainment companies such as Complex Networks.
