Investigative City Hall Reporter – Jackson

Mississippi Today; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Vision and dental insurance

29 days paid time off per year

Up to 12 weeks parental leave

Simple IRA with 3 percent companymatch

Job summary

Mississippi Today, the Pulitzer Prize–winning nonprofit newsroom, seeks an enterprising reporter to cover Jackson city government and Hinds County. You will develop sources, scrutinize public records and deliver timely, authoritative daily coverage while pursuing ambitious enterprise and investigative stories.

You’ll work with editors, the Audience Team and data/visual journalists to create compelling presentations and hold public officials accountable.

Qualifications

• At least two years of professional reporting experience, preferably covering government, public policy or accountability issues.
• Proficiency in filing public records requests and analyzing government documents, budgets and other records.
• Strong interviewing, research, writing and fact-checking skills.
• Versatility in producing both shortform and longform stories.
• Sound news judgment, a sense of urgency and a commitment to accuracy under tight deadlines.
• Initiative and organizational skills to manage multiple assignments independently and pursue stories with persistence.
• Multimedia reporting skills, including using a smartphone to capture photos and video.
• Familiarity with social media as a tool for research, source development and audience engagement.

Responsibilities

• Cover Jackson city government and the Hinds County Board of Supervisors with an emphasis on accountability and transparency.
• Develop sources, build trust and pursue stories beyond press releases and official statements.
• Produce timely, authoritative daily coverage while developing enterprise and investigative reporting.
• Collaborate with editors, Audience Team and data/visual journalists to present compelling story presentations.
• Respond quickly to breaking developments while pursuing longer-term investigative work.

Skills

Accountability

Source development

Questioning

Building trust

News judgment

Team collaboration

Knowledge of Jackson

Story ideation

Job description

Mississippi Today, the Pulitzer Prize–winning nonprofit newsroom, seeks an enterprising reporter to cover Jackson city government and Hinds County. You will develop sources, scrutinize public records and deliver timely, authoritative daily coverage while pursuing ambitious enterprise and investigative stories.

You’ll work with editors, the Audience Team and data/visual journalists to create compelling presentations and hold public officials accountable.