Iowa Politics & State Government Reporter

AAJA26; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium health care

Vacation 4 weeks

Personal leave 2 weeks

Volunteer time 20 hours

Holidays 11

Cell phone reimbursement

Cell phone replacement benefit

Fitness benefit

401K with match

Parental leave 12 weeks

EAP

Job summary

States Newsroom’s Iowa Capital Dispatch seeks a reporter to cover the Iowa Legislature, governor’s office and state government, delivering daily and enterprise stories that hold officials accountable. The role includes taking photos, sharing content on social media, and producing a national political newsletter distributed through States Newsroom.

The ideal candidate will track trending topics, build strong sources, and pursue public records requests to provide context beyond press releases for

Qualifications

• At least three years of previous news reporting and/or editing experience (student journalism counts).
• Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Authorization to work in the United States is required; visa sponsorship is not available.

Responsibilities

• Produce regular, high-quality reporting on Iowa policy and elected officials.
• Contribute regularly to outlet’s briefs section.
• Generate story ideas with the editor.
• Pursue story leads, both self-generated and as assigned, with self-direction and solid news judgment.
• Approach assignments on deadline with strong communication and follow through with the editor and colleagues.
• Collaborate with other reporters on projects and to share research and pertinent knowledge when/if available.
• Establish and expand digital media presence representing the outlet and use personal social media to amplify the site’s content, presence and voice.
• Take photos and video to illustrate and amplify stories.

Skills

Source building

Public records requests

News reporting

Job description

States Newsroom’s Iowa Capital Dispatch seeks a reporter to cover the Iowa Legislature, governor’s office and state government, delivering daily and enterprise stories that hold officials accountable. The role includes taking photos, sharing content on social media, and producing a national political newsletter distributed through States Newsroom.

The ideal candidate will track trending topics, build strong sources, and pursue public records requests to provide context beyond press releases for