Environmental Reporter

Baltimore Public Media; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Baltimore Public Media is seeking an Environmental Reporter/Producer to cover environmental, natural resources, climate and sea level rise issues across Maryland, with a focus on the Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula. The role combines reporting, audio production and digital storytelling across BPM and Delmarva Public Media.

You will work with a team of reporters, produce enterprise and breaking news, and contribute to local and national segments while meeting daily deadlines.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of experience in audio journalism, public radio, or podcast production
• Strong editorial and ethical judgment and attention to detail
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
• Audio editing proficiency
• Experience developing and maintaining a beat.
• Enterprise reporting experience.
• Ability to develop and maintain sources.
• Strong writing and interviewing skills. Demonstrated ability to elevate diverse voices and topics with nuance and sensitivity
• General awareness of local and regional news
• Good time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Foster a collaborative team spirit based on mutual respect
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, mass-communications or related fields.
• Must have reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license

Responsibilities

• The reporter/producer writes and produces breaking and enterprise news stories on multiple platforms, including audio and digital, focused on business environmental and agricultural stories across the state of Maryland, with a focus on the Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula.
• Other duties include scheduling and conducting interviews and planning future news coverage related to the beat, recording and editing material using digital audio tools, using social media for information gathering, engagement, and taking photos.
• Participate in local news programming by appearing as a guest on shows like WYPR’s Midday or Delmarva Public Media’s Delmarva Today.
• Produces reports for national news programs and newscasts, as assigned and with approval of supervising editor.
• Other duties as assigned, including participating in fundraising and outreach functions.

Skills

Audio journalism

Interviewing

Writing

Research

Editing

Beat development

Enterprise reporting

Source development

Deadline management

Team collaboration

Public radio experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field

Job description

Position Description

Baltimore Public Media is hiring a multi-platform Environmental Reporter to join our collaborative newsroom with Delmarva Public Media to provide comprehensive coverage of this beat for our audience across the state and the surrounding regions. The position will largely be based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore but will involve travel to BPM when necessary for meetings, training and other opportunities related to this role.

You will work alongside a team of skilled reporters and receive constructive feedback and editing of your stories produced for broadcast and online.

What You Will Bring:

You are a tenacious reporter with a watchdog approach, equally eager to produce hard news and feature stories that inform about our state policies and regulations and their impact on our natural resources. These stories will shed light on companies headquartered in our region whose decisions and activities impact resources and communities. You also understand how to have fun with a story to create lighter features that also inform and uplift. You are skilled in building strong sources while navigating through complex issues and unique personalities that make up the urban rural and coastal areas of the state, will all the while be covering this beat up against the backdrop of the rapidly increasing local impacts of climate change and sea level rise. You have a keen sense of what makes good narrative journalism.

This Reporter/Producer produces high quality enterprise and breaking news stories for BPM/DPM that appear on multiple platforms and consistently meet daily deadlines, as well as ethical, technical, legal and aesthetic standards. This involves daily research, writing, online filing, photography, voicing and production. The bulk of this reporter/producer’s newsgathering efforts will focus on environmental regulations, news about natural resources, updates or issues facing the agriculture industry, climate issues, and sea level rise in the Mid-Atlantic Region (with a heavy focus on the state of Maryland). This reporter will be a shared part of both BPM and DPM’s news departments. The reporter will divide their time between Delmarva and Baltimore offices
and field work as needed for newsgathering.

The position may include travel to remote locations, working evenings or weekends, and possibly working in inclement weather. In-state travel is common, but trips are often short and can be done in a day.

Responsibilities

• The reporter/producer writes and produces breaking and enterprise news stories on multiple platforms, including audio and digital, focused on business environmental and agricultural stories across the state of Maryland, with a focus on the Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula. Other duties include scheduling and conducting interviews and planning future news coverage related to the beat, recording and editing material using digital audio tools, using social media for information gathering, engagement, and taking photos.
• Participate in local news programming by appearing as a guest on shows like WYPR’s Midday or Delmarva Public Media’s Delmarva Today.
• Produces reports for national news programs and newscasts, as assigned and with approval of supervising editor.
• Other duties as assigned, including participating in fundraising and outreach functions.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of experience in audio journalism, public radio, or podcast production
• Strong editorial and ethical judgment and attention to detail
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
• Audio editing proficiency
• Experience developing and maintaining a beat.
• Enterprise reporting experience.
• Ability to develop and maintain sources.
• Strong writing and interviewing skills.Demonstrated ability to elevate diverse voices and topics with nuance and sensitivity
• General awareness of local and regional news
• Good time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Foster a collaborative team spirit based on mutual respect
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, mass-communications or related fields.
• Must have reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license

The Organization

About Baltimore Public Media

Baltimore Public Media (BPM) is the parent organization of WYPR 88.1 FM and WTMD 89.7 FM. We provide rich, vibrant programming in news, music, arts, and culture-across expanding radio and digital formats that connects,
enriches, and elevates the residents and communities of Baltimore and the region. Our mission is rooted in journalistic integrity, cultural merit, and community service.

About Delmarva Public Media

Delmarva Public Media is a collaboration of public radio stations owned by Salisbury University (WSCL and WSDL) and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (WESM).

Our three stations feature the widest variety of public radio programming on the Delmarva Peninsula. For nearly 40 years, these stations have provided quality music, news, and programming to the residents and visitors of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Coastal Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Baltimore Public Media and Delmarva Public Media are Equal Opportunity Employers.

Both are committed to building a team that represents diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We actively encourage applicants from historically underrepresented groups—including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

Baltimore Public Media offers a competitive benefits package.

As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public media organization, Baltimore Public Media operates WYPR 88.1 FM and WTMD 89.7 FM, serving the Baltimore region and Maryland with trusted journalism, engaging music, and cultural programming. We are dedicated to enriching our community through independent media and public service.