Investigative Reporter (Washington state)

The Center Square; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision

Disability insurance

Employer-paid life insurance

401(k) with up to 4% match

Pre-tax flexible spending accounts

Job summary

The Center Square is seeking a Washington state investigative reporter to join our Enterprise and Investigative Unit. This role focuses on government accountability and public policy from a taxpayers’ perspective, reporting from Washington state.

Ideal candidates have strong writing, research abilities, and experience with data analysis and multimedia reporting. You will work with a national team to deliver high-impact investigations and enterprise stories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, political science, or related field preferred but not required.
• At least two years of investigative government reporting experience or five years of high-impact daily journalism.

Responsibilities

• File records requests and obtain data; build confidential sources.
• Supplement reporting with video, shoot and edit footage, discuss reporting on camera.
• Analyze data and talk to officials responsible for policies and corruption.
• Ensure fairness, completeness, and avoid libel or defamation with editors.
• Produce regular, high-impact investigations and enterprise stories.

Skills

Writing and research

AP style

Multimedia reporting

Video editing

Aggressive but professional

Clear storytelling

Legal awareness (libel/defamation)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field

Tools

Video editing software

Job description

The Center Square has partnered with Big Fish on this search.

For questions or referrals, please contact Angel Fimbres-Barcelo at [e-mail].

Big Fish is a boutique recruiting firm specializing in public policy talent, working with nonprofits, trade associations, and corporations to recruit mission-forward talent. To learn more about Big Fish, please visit recruitbigfish.com.

Position Title: Investigative Reporter (Washington state)

Employment Status: Full-time

Salary range: $80,000 - $90,000

Position Overview

The Center Square is seeking highly motivated investgative reporters to join our Washington state bureau and Enterprise and Investigative Unit (EIU). The Center Square has a five-person bureau in the state. The EIU is a five-person national investigative team, which, despite only starting a year ago, has already been a finalist for major national awards, changed state laws and removed corrupt and incompetent government officials.

We're looking for passionate journalists who have government reporting experience, and a strong interest and understanding of politics and public policy. The Center Square covers government from a taxpayers’ perspective, not from government’s perspective. We hold government officials accountable for their actions and decisions and inform our readers how those decisions affect them.

These key roles will be joining an eastern Washington reporter and state government reporter to provide readers and partners with the best coverage in the state. The city hall reporter reports to The Center Square’s Washington State Editor and the EIU job reports to the Managing Editor for EIU and West Coast Region.

Essential responsibilities for the Washington EIU Reporter

• File records requests, obtain data, make confidential sources and regularly read the journalism around the state to find weekly investigative pieces and work on team projects.
• Supplement print reporting with video; be willing to shoot and edit video, and discuss your reporting in front of a camera
• Analyze data and records, talk to sources and officials responsible for policies and corruption and confront them at public settings if necessary.
• Work with EIU editor to revise, ensure stories meet fairness, completeness and avoid libel or defamation.
• Regularly produce impactful investigations, follows and enterprise stories. This is not a position to report for six months to produce a 10,000-word series. We expect regular, high-impact investigations.

Expectations for the Role

• Have excellent writing and research abilities while adhering to Associated Press style.
• Take direction well and be willing to learn from The Center Square's experienced editors and other journalists.
• Live in Washington state, preferably near Seattle and Olympia. Meet sources both inside and outside of government.
• Focus on stories that will have impact and make a difference. We look for stories with the potential to change state law or policy, start criminal or internal investigations and spark audits and reviews.
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, political science, or a related field is preferred but not required, and at least two years of investigative government reporting experience or five years of high-impact daily journalism with a proven track record of enterprise and investigative work on a beat.
• Proficient in understanding news and moving fast to find new and investigative angles on breaking and developing stories.
• Able to be aggressive but professional and not take no for an answer.
• Writing approachable news copy to distill complex issues into concise explanations.
• Be well-versed in libel and defamation law and knowing how to make sure stories avoid those and are fair, complete.
• Multimedia reporting focused on utilizing video stream to pull and edit video and audio clips for affiliate use.

Benefits Summary

• Center Square offers health, dental, vision, disability, and employer-paid life insurance from day one.
• It also offers a 401(k) with up to a 4% match after 30 days, plus pre-tax flexible spending accounts.