Government and politics editor

USA-Today-Co.; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network, is seeking a watchdog-minded, politically savvy journalist to lead a team of reporters in Central Indiana. This newsroom leadership role will shape coverage of government and politics, from city hall to the statehouse, in a rapidly changing election cycle.

You will guide investigative and enterprise reporting, emphasize audience needs, and promote urgency, accuracy, and ethical journalism within a collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

• Five years of journalism experience, including political reporting or editing.
• Proven ability to apply analytics to content strategy.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Comfort in deadline-driven environments.
• Exceptional planning and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of social media and SEO best practices.
• Strong line-editing and people-management skills.
• Experience with public records and data journalism.
• Solid grounding in media law and ethical reporting principles.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of reporters covering city hall, county government, statehouse and federal delegation.
• Lead and provide coverage of national or statewide politics for the USA TODAY Network.
• Mentor reporters on sourcing, interviewing and public records.
• Meet readers where they are using diverse formats, video and visuals to convey information.
• Use metrics to guide the team’s approach to stories.
• Handle editing duties including evening and weekend rotations.

Skills

Political reporting

Analytics usage

SEO knowledge

People management

Public records

Media law

Deadline-driven

Communication skills

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network, has an immediate opening for a watchdog-minded, politically savvy journalist who can lead a team of reporters in a competitive, newsy market.

This is a key newsroom role, particularly following the 2026 midterm elections and heading into the start of the Indiana legislative session. Meanwhile, a highly competitive mayoral election has already kicked off ahead of next year's election.

This government and politics editor will work with reporters on the front end as well as the back to shape the full range of politics and government coverage, from breaking news to contextualized enterprise to investigative and watchdog journalism only IndyStar delivers.

The editor will put audience at the center of our coverage, asking with every story what do residents of Central Indiana want and need to know about their governments. They will embrace change and experimentation, learning from failures and pivoting quickly. And they will recognize the value of urgency and scoops.

The successful candidate will have political reporting experience, a keen editing eye and sharp news judgment - someone who is a team player and self-directed, passionate and compassionate, someone who finds success in the success of others.

People skills are as important as journalism skills in this role. Our government and politics editor will be part of a small but mighty team of news editors who rely on each other daily. You will lead your team with empathy while also challenging them to do their best work - whether they're interns still in college, our most experienced staffers or somewhere in between.

IndyStar is the winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, most recently in 2021. You'll work with and learn from some of journalism's best while living in a vibrant and diverse city in the heart of the Midwest.

Our mission is clear: IndyStar informs, empowers and inspires the people of Central Indiana with our journalism. We deliver journalism that is essential to the communities we serve with urgency. We are a people-centered newsroom that’s obsessed with thoughtful experimentation and developing our next generation of industry leaders.

If you're up to the challenge of moving us forward, read on for job requirements and information on how to share your qualifications and best work.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage a team of news reporters, including reporters covering Indianapolis city hall, Hamilton County, the Indiana Statehouse and our federal delegation
• Lead and provide coverage of national or statewide interest for the USA TODAY Network
• Mentor reporters on source-building, interviewing and public records
• Meet our audience where they are by using different story formats, video and other visuals to convey information
• Use metrics and our internal metrics experts to guide your team's approach to stories
• Handle other editing duties as needed, including evening and weekend editor rotations

Requirements:

• At least five years of journalism experience, including experience in political reporting or editing
• Proven proficiency in applying analytics to content strategy
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Comfort in deadline-driven environment
• Exceptional planning and organizational skills
• Social-media and SEO knowledge
• Strong line-editing skills
• Strong people-management skills
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Experience with public records and data journalism
• Command of media law and principles of ethical conduct
• Bachelor's degree
• Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer pre-employment background check.