NPR cancels its summer time internship program

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. We have so much to dive into at this time, so let’s get to it: NPR cuts its summer time internship program, Proof results in justice, and SiriusXM retains a longtime podcast within the fold with a brand new deal.

Facing $10 million in funds cuts, NPR axes summer time internship program

NPR, which instituted a near-total hiring freeze final month, is taking one other drastic step to save cash by canceling its prestigious summer time internship program. 

The information was first tweeted out Tuesday morning by All Things Considered technical director Stu Rushfield. “This makes me truly sad,” he mentioned. “@NPRinterns are part of NPR’s lifeblood & a pipeline of great talent.” Former interns chimed in that many owe their careers in radio to the coaching and connections they made by this system.

About one-sixth of present staffers on the community began as interns, based on NPR’s internship web page (which is still up). All internship postings have been faraway from the careers web site. The firm confirmed Tuesday afternoon that this system has been canceled for the summer time.

“We are seeing a worldwide set of economic challenges that have weakened the advertising industry and negatively affected media and technology companies. A major portion of NPR’s revenue comes through corporate sponsorships, which are sensitive to changes like this in the economy,” the community mentioned in a press release to Hot Pod. “Unfortunately this means we have to make hard choices and, in addition to a near hiring freeze, we made the difficult decision to cancel this summer’s internship program. We are committed to providing a positive intern experience and hope to be able to reinstate it soon.”

This isn’t the primary time NPR has canceled the summer time internship; it took the identical step in 2020 in the course of the top of the COVID-19 pandemic. But whereas that was possible as a consequence of a wide range of pandemic-related elements (reminiscent of security and the transition to distant work), this minimize is solely for monetary causes. Two weeks in the past, NPR CEO John Lansing despatched an electronic mail to staffers saying that the community is anticipating a $20 million decline in company sponsorships, and might want to make $10 million in funds cuts this monetary 12 months. That accounts for about 3% of NPR’s annual funds.

While this system will hopefully return, there’s a time strain for younger graduates. Currently, it’s a must to have graduated up to now 12 months in an effort to be eligible for the internship, that means that 2022–2023 graduates may miss out on a serious pipeline to public radio careers. NPR didn’t reply as as to whether they are going to lengthen the eligibility window transferring ahead.

Beyond the impression on present NPR staffers who depend on intern labor and the would-be interns in want of expertise, the transfer is one other worrying signal for the state of the media enterprise. Between the layoffs at CNN, Spotify’s podcast studios, Gannett, and others, it feels just like the partitions are closing in.

Have you heard rumblings of layoffs or different staff-cutting measures at your organization? Feel free to hit me up at ariel.shapiro@theverge.com (nameless is ok!).

Another true crime podcast results in long-overdue justice

Proof: A True Crime Podcast debuted earlier this 12 months, and has already had some main real-world impression. The present unearthed new proof within the 1996 taking pictures of 15-year-old Brian Bowling, exposing the false grounds on which two Georgia youngsters have been convicted for the homicide. Those now-43-year-old males have been exonerated due to the highlight Proof shone on the case.

Cain Joshua Storey and Darrell Lee Clark have been launched final week after the Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office dismissed all the fees towards them. According to the Georgia Innocence Project, which represented the pair, interviews carried out by Proof hosts Jacinda Davis and Susan Simpson in 2021 ended up being essential for the case’s end result. They discovered that one witness was coerced by the police into giving false testimony, whereas one other witness had been misunderstood by the decide and jury as a consequence of his speech and listening to impairment.

“I’m just glad the truth finally came to light after 25 years,” Lee Clark mentioned in a press release. “I’m so thankful for the Georgia Innocence Project and Proof podcast for what they did. Without them, I would still be in prison.”

The scenario is harking back to the recent developments with Serial and its major topic, Adnan Syed. But whereas Serial was initially ambivalent about whether or not or not Syed was harmless and there was an eight-year hole between the present’s run and Syed’s launch, Proof managed to assist ship justice in a few 12 months.

I’m usually not massive on true crime podcasts (particularly ones that gawk at violence), however clearly some are value their salt as investigations! And when achieved proper, they will present a robust platform for tales that might in any other case go unnoticed.

How Did This Get Made? renews cope with SiriusXM

I reported yesterday solely for The Verge that comedy podcast (and private Ariel Shapiro favourite!) How Did This Get Made? is sticking with Earwolf. The present has been beneath Earwolf’s banner since 2010, lengthy earlier than the studio bought into broad fare like Office Ladies and its guardian Stitcher was acquired by SiriusXM. Even if HDTGM isn’t a chart-topper (although it does usually rank respectably within the prime 50 comedy podcasts on Apple), it’s nonetheless a success at 40 million downloads a 12 months. As audio corporations scramble to license prime reveals, it’s in SiriusXM’s curiosity to maintain the podcast in its roster moderately than lose it to a competitor.

That’s all for now, see you subsequent week!