Oregon State Politics & Government Accountability Reporter

Amgmarketing; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible benefits

Job summary

The Oregonian/OregonLive in Portland, Oregon, is hiring a State Government & Politics Reporter to hold power to account. You will cover the Legislature, state agencies and elections with a collaborative team, and you’ll deploy data and records to illuminate policy decisions affecting Oregonians.

This hybrid role in the Portland metro area requires strong reporting, quick turnarounds, and the ability to break news while producing enterprise work that shines a light on underrepresented voices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of journalism experience with a track record of clear, engaging writing, fresh story framing and diverse sourcing.
• Ability to analyze data sets to find the smart stories, including the effectiveness of state programs and policies, state hiring and spending and other government accountability metrics.
• Inclination and ability to insist on compliance with public records and public meeting laws to give readers maximum transparency about elected officials’ performance.
• Skill at using social media and digital platforms to drive traffic and engage readers.

Responsibilities

• Become an authority on state government including deep expertise on state budgets, legislative processes and readily available state politics and government data sources (such as campaign finance and lobbying databases).
• Work collaboratively with other reporters to uncover news and report on ongoing issues.
• Publicly represent The Oregonian/OregonLive in limited situations, including political debates and possibly on national news programs as an expert on Oregon politics and government.
• Regularly file public records requests and generally seek the transparency necessary to hold powerful leaders accountable.
• Show curiosity, collegiality and flexibility when news demands that the organization pivots to high-priority events.

Skills

Public records requests

Data analysis

Diverse sourcing

Deadline-driven

Public accountability reporting

Social media skills

Multilingual (asset)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or communications

Tools

Public records databases

Job description

The Oregonian/OregonLive in Portland, Oregon, is hiring a State Government & Politics Reporter to hold power to account. You will cover the Legislature, state agencies and elections with a collaborative team, and you’ll deploy data and records to illuminate policy decisions affecting Oregonians.

This hybrid role in the Portland metro area requires strong reporting, quick turnarounds, and the ability to break news while producing enterprise work that shines a light on underrepresented voices.