City Hall Reporter

MRT Media Group

Dallas (TX)

On-site

USD 60,000 - 110,000

Full time

11 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Physical Wellbeing

Invest for the Future

Paid Time Off

Paid Parental Leave

Childcare Reimbursement

Emotional Wellbeing

Inclusive Health Services

Fertility Coverage

Pet Wellness Reimbursement

Job summary

The Dallas Morning News, part of Hearst, is seeking an experienced reporter to cover city government in Dallas with urgency, depth and accountability. Break exclusive news, develop sources across City Hall, and explain how decisions affect residents.

You’ll produce enterprise and feature stories, cover local campaigns and elections, and collaborate with newsroom teams to deliver digital-first reporting with accuracy and context.

Qualifications

Minimum five years of professional reporting with local government coverage.
Proven ability to break exclusive news and produce enterprise stories.
Strong understanding of municipal government and public policy.

Responsibilities

Break exclusive news on Mayor, City Council, city departments and major issues.
Produce breaking news, enterprise and accountability reporting for residents.
Explain city budgets, development, safety, housing and infrastructure clearly.
Cover City Council meetings and major events with speed and accuracy.
Collaborate with investigative, data and visuals teams on major projects.
Use AI and analytics to enhance reach while maintaining accuracy.

Skills

City government reporting

Investigative reporting

Source development

Public records requests

Data journalism

Interviewing

Digital storytelling

Editorial judgment

Deadline culture

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Help hold Dallas City Hall accountable through exclusive reporting, enterprise journalism and investigations that make a difference in people’s lives.

The Dallas Morning News is seeking an experienced, ambitious reporter to cover city government with urgency, depth and accountability. This reporter will break news, produce enterprise and accountability stories, help cover city elections, explain how City Hall decisions affect residents and hold elected officials and public institutions accountable.

What You’ll Do

Break exclusive news on the mayor, City Council, city departments and major municipal issues.

Produce a mix of breaking news, accountability reporting, enterprise and feature stories that reveal how local government affects residents.

Publish with a digital-first mindset, delivering timely reporting and using multiple storytelling formats.

Cover local campaigns and elections with fairness, independence and a focus on their impact.

Build and maintain a deep network of trusted sources across City Hall, neighborhood groups, business leaders and community organizations.

Explain budgets, development, public safety, housing, infrastructure and other complex city issues with clarity.

Cover City Council meetings, municipal elections and major city events with speed, accuracy and context.

Collaborate with investigative, data, visuals and local newsroom teams on major projects.

Use AI, analytics, audience insights and digital storytelling tools to maximize the reach and impact of your journalism.

Uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and verification under deadline.

What You’ll Bring

At least five years of professional reporting experience, including significant coverage of local government, politics or public policy.

Demonstrated success breaking exclusive news and advancing competitive stories.

Strong understanding of municipal government, public finance and local policymaking.

Exceptional source-building skills across City Hall, political circles and the broader community.

Strong investigative skills using public records, budgets, contracts, campaign finance and data.

Proven ability to balance breaking news with enterprise and accountability reporting.

Strong news judgment, interviewing skills and commitment to accuracy.

Experience producing digital-first journalism and using multiple storytelling platforms.

Experience collaborating across newsroom teams on major projects.

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Deep knowledge of Dallas city government, politics, civic issues and the city’s business community is a plus.

Work Smarter with AI

Through our strategic content partnership with OpenAI and our exclusive ChatGPT Enterprise license, we have access to the latest advancements in AI technology. Our access to AI tools, as well as the many Hearst DevHub-built tools (an editorial innovation team), acts as a smart assistant for routine work. In our newsroom, you will use AI to:

Generate headline options, SEO keywords or alert language.

Clean up grammar, apply style and improve clarity.

Version stories for different formats (video, audio) or platforms (social media).

Monitor public meetings and get alerts with transcripts and video.

Process and summarize data with AI assistance, human-verified before use.

Advanced AI is not a journalist, but it can facilitate and accelerate the work of journalism.

Additional Information

Sponsorship: This position does not provide immigration sponsorship. Applicants must have the right to work in the U.S. without immigration sponsorship.

Accommodations: We are committed to an accessible application process. If you need an accommodation to apply, please contact hnpemployment@hearst.com . This email address is for accommodation requests only.

We support our employees through personal and professional development and promote physical, financial and emotional wellbeing for employees and their families. Our benefits include: