Politics and Policy Correspondent

Lookout Local; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and performance‑drI

Full‑time benefits: medical, dental, &

Job summary

Lookout Local in Santa Cruz, California, seeks an experienced Politics and Policy Correspondent to cover local government, policy, and power with fairness, depth, and clarity. You will break news, provide context, and craft engaging narrative stories for readers in Santa Cruz County.

We value data-driven reporting, strong source networks, and responsible use of AI tools to aid storytelling, while maintaining non-partisan, community-focused journalism.

Qualifications

• Proven, relevant experience as a journalist with timely and impactful reporting.
• Strong narrative storytelling and a commitment to fair, accurate, non‑partisan journalism.
• Proficiency with digital publishing tools and a keen interest in emerging technologies.
• Deep understanding of beat reporting and the ability to develop a network of sources.
• Demonstrated ability to serve readers’ news and information needs.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, useful, and connect‑the‑dots reporting on assigned beats.
• Create narrative stories that give readers a fair, accurate, and non‑partisan sense of the news that matters most to them.
• Collaborate with colleagues on breaking news and in‑depth pieces.
• Conduct thorough research and investigations, verify facts and cross‑check information to ensure reliability.
• Write clear, concise, and compelling stories in various styles, from breaking news to in‑depth features.
• Look for ways to help readers participate in their communities and to be of service to them.
• Work at the cadence of digital publishing, ensuring timely updates and responsiveness to breaking news.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Collaborate with fellow journalists and editors to share insights, story ideas, resources, and expertise.
• Community Engagement: Engage with the community to understand their needs and interests, reflecting this in reporting.
• Build and maintain a network of sources and contacts. Develop relationships with key community members, officials, and experts.
• Represent Lookout Santa Cruz at community events and forums.

Skills

Reporting and storytelling

Non-partisan journalism

Narrative storytelling

Data-informed reporting

Emerging tech for storytelling

Job description

Politics and Policy Correspondent

Lookout Local Santa Cruz, California, United States

About this position

About Lookout Local

Lookout Santa Cruz has successfully become the primary news medium for the people of Santa Cruz County, reaching about 60% of the adults in the county each month. We’ve established ourselves, and our model, as a full-service very good community newspaper that happens to be digital. We cover all the topics that matter to our readers, from government and education coverage to environment and health, and food and the arts. We’ve established ourselves as a go‑to source of breaking news and accountability reporting, increasing our impact year‑by‑year. Lookout Santa Cruz won the 2024 Pulitzer for Breaking News, and Lookout's fiercely mission‑driven, business‑driven model is winning wide national notice. Check out our network page: https://lookout.co/network.

Our workplaces are in‑person, in‑community, collaborative and collegial. We are building a diverse, highly skilled and mission‑driven group of journalists, community builders and business people intent on maintaining our culture of learning, growth and community service.

About the role

We’re looking for an experienced government and public policy reporter, able to break news, provide near‑immediate context and write engagingly and clearly on the many local issues of the day. Santa Cruz County is a vital, active civic community and readers have looked to Lookout for first and best coverage, here mainly focused on the county and the city of Santa Cruz. Have you proven you get under these stories of politics, policy and power and feed reader interest and engagement with Lookout and with the wider communities we serve?

You are well‑versed in data and records, and have begun to use the modern AI tools of the day to aid your work. We’d appreciate seeing your best narrative storytelling, a key part of what readers expect.

Our reporters will provide timely, useful, and connect‑the‑dots reporting that distinguishes the Lookout model. Readers know our reporters through the bylines and photos and look to them for reliable news and information. This role involves working deeply into Politics, Policy and Power, collaborating with colleagues on both breaking news and in‑depth pieces, and excelling at narrative storytelling. The ideal candidates will provide fair, accurate, and non‑partisan news, work at the cadence of digital publishing, and be enthusiastic about the responsible use of newer technologies. We’re looking for journalists who see the power of revived local journalism and have the skills and enthusiasm to be part of a new team doing it.

Requirements

• Reporting and Storytelling:
• Provide timely, useful, and connect‑the‑dots reporting on assigned beats.
• Create narrative stories that give readers a fair, accurate, and non‑partisan sense of the news that matters most to them.
• Collaborate with colleagues on breaking news and in‑depth pieces.
• Conduct thorough research and investigations, verify facts and cross‑check information to ensure reliability.
• Write clear, concise, and compelling stories in various styles, from breaking news to in‑depth features.
• Look for ways to help readers participate in their communities and to be of service to them.
• Work at the cadence of digital publishing, ensuring timely updates and responsiveness to breaking news.
• Collaboration and Teamwork:
• Collaborate with fellow journalists and editors to share insights, story ideas, resources, and expertise.
• Community Engagement:
• Engage with the community to understand their needs and interests, reflecting this in reporting.
• Build and maintain a network of sources and contacts. Develop relationships with key community members, officials, and experts.
• Represent Lookout Santa Cruz at community events and forums.

Qualifications

• Proven, relevant experience as a journalist with a track record of timely and impactful reporting.
• Strong narrative storytelling skills with a commitment to fair, accurate, and non‑partisan journalism.
• Proficiency with digital publishing tools and a keen interest in emerging technologies.
• Deep understanding of beat reporting and the ability to develop and maintain a network of sources.
• Demonstrated ability to serve readers’ news and information needs.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
• Passion for Lookout’s mission and a deep understanding of the local community.

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary and performance‑based incentives.
• Full‑time benefits include highly competitive medical, dental, and optical benefits, and 401(k) with matching.
• Stock options in our growing company.
• An opportunity to make a significant impact on and contribute to the revival of local journalism.
• A collaborative and mission‑driven work environment.