Education or Local Government Reporter

Date Posted	April 18, 2024
Industry	Newspapers, Digital Media, Nonprofit
Specialty	Local News
Job Status	Full-time

Description:

The Long Beach Post is a small but mighty nonprofit newsroom that’s become the primary source of local news and investigative journalism for residents of Long Beach, Calif.

We’re rebuilding after recently separating from our for-profit ownership and have two openings for reporters who are interested in shaping the media landscape in a major Southern California city. 

The Post, a 501c(3) nonprofit, has a high standard of journalism and has consistently punched above its weight, winning dozens of state, regional and national awards — sometimes beating out competition like the Los Angeles Times and other major daily newspapers. Our accountability coverage affects change, forcing reforms in police department policy and even inspiring new state law.

This is a job for an experienced reporter who can write three to five daily stories a week while pursuing longer-term enterprising and investigative articles.

We are the main general-interest news source for a city of nearly half a million people, but we also place a premium on originally reported, impactful pieces that have the potential to change the fabric of our community for the better.

To be hired, you should have a body of work that demonstrates your ability to break original news and complete complicated but compelling stories.

The two positions we’re hiring for are an education reporter and a local government reporter.

Education Reporter: This position will focus on our K-12 school district, community college district and California State University that have essentially gone uncovered by legacy media. Applicants should also be able and willing to contribute to breaking news, feature and general interest news coverage as needed.

Local Government Reporter: This position will focus on covering the politics and bureaucracy of Long Beach city government including the mayor and City Council, Health Department and homelessness response, planning, development and infrastructure. Impeccable news judgment and the ability to make complex city decisions easily digestible for a broad audience is a must-have for this role. Applicants should also be able and willing to contribute to breaking news, feature and general interest news coverage as needed.

These are full-time, exempt positions that will require some weekend and evening work. The pay range is $67,560 to $75,000 annually based on experience and qualifications. 

Required qualifications:

• At least five years of experience in a daily or online news organization or the equivalent

• Intense curiosity and drive to pursue original reporting and the confidence to land a major story

• A collaborative spirit and desire to grow

• A fierce commitment to journalistic ethics and unwavering desire to pursue the truth

• A sharp eye for detail — be it for facts or comma placement

• Keen sense of news judgment and cost-benefit analysis. In collaboration with editors, you must be able to spot a story and know which ones are worth pursuing.

• Willingness to help mentor and teach less-experienced reporters and journalistic novices. We work in partnership with residents and other news organizations in our community. That means being able to explain and excite people about our mission and participate in fundraisers and events to support us. 

Desired qualifications:

• The Post strongly desires bilingual candidates who can help reach our diverse audience including a large Latino, Black and Cambodian population.

• Experience filing public requires requests and fighting to get information you’re entitled to

• Multimedia experience is a plus. We tell stories in new, innovative ways to reach our large social media audience including 120K+ Instagram followers. At minimum, we require a willingness to experiment with new storytelling forms to reach audiences where they are.

The Long Beach Post is an equal-opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds, all races, colors, origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran statuses, sexual orientations, and marital statuses are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply, please send an email to executive editor Jeremiah Dobruck at Jeremiah@lbpost.com with the subject line “Reporter application” along with three samples of your best work, two Long Beach-specific story ideas relevant to the beat you’re applying for, your resume, three references and a cover letter explaining your approach to the job.