Carolina Public Press seeks a full-time staff investigative reporter to join our award-winning nonprofit organization that is dedicated to independent, in-depth and investigative news in the public interest serving all of North Carolina.
The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of experience in public-interest investigative reporting and proven experience in a collaborative environment using digital investigative and traditional news gathering techniques. This reporter will largely focus on project-based in-depth and investigative reporting for Carolina Public Press. The position may be remote and the reporter may be based anywhere in North Carolina.
As an investigative reporter with Carolina Public Press, you will:
Craft coherent, captivating and impactful daily, short-term and long-term investigative reporting that integrates individual, family and community stories with insightful analysis and revealing data and public records
Work collaboratively with local, regional, statewide and national media partners to produce investigative reporting projects that are, based on input and data, of interest across the state and nation
Adapt stories across platforms in a variety of formats
Analyze data and pursue public records regularly
Produce “toolkits” that explain how we got the story and how to use/replicate the story at the local, regional or statewide level
Be familiar with laws governing open government, public records, libel, defamation and privacy
Have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
We are seeking a team member who:
Is naturally curious, able to separate personal views from the reporting process and unafraid to ask sometimes unpleasant questions
Has strong news gathering, source development, data analysis and writing skills
Shows initiative to find holes in existing reporting, to pursue new and revealing angles and to find what’s going overlooked and under-reported
Is a positive leader inside and outside the newsroom
Is a professional communicator within the news team and across the organization and can understand the overall mission, vision, goals and values of the organization
Displays a positive attitude, shows concern for people and community, and demonstrates self-confidence, compassion, common sense and good listening
Thinks creatively about how to tell investigative stories, about obstacles likely to be encountered – and then follows through with ideas, suggestions and solutions
Seeks opportunities to learn from, offer resources to and collaborate with other investigative reporters and like-minded organizations across the state and nation
Has experience and comfort with data analyzing skills, software and tools, including Excel, SQL or R (or equivalent) or is highly motivated to learn quickly
Not required, but preferred skills:
Deep community ties to and/or knowledge of North Carolina;
Familiarity with the nonprofit news sector and how it is different from for-profit news organizations; and
Proficiency in Spanish.
This full-time exempt position reports to the editor in chief.
We recognize that you may be an excellent candidate even when your expertise may be different from what we’ve described or envisioned for this position. Everyone is different, and you do not have to satisfy all requirements to be considered for this job. Carolina Public Press is very interested in reflecting the communities we serve and encourages women, people of color, those living with disabilities, those from rural communities, and others from underrepresented communities in the traditional media to apply.
Along with the opportunity to do meaningful work with an award-winning team, Carolina Public Press offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes a 95% paid primary health care plan; access to additional coverage including life insurance and accident plans; generous vacation leave and paid holidays; and professional development opportunities. The salary range for this position is $65,000-$75,000, based on experience, education and potential.