Regional Investigative Reporter

NEWSWELL at Arizona State University; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

22 vacation days

11 holidays

Parental leave

Tuition reductions

Professional development

Cell phone reimbursement

Job summary

NEWSWELL seeks a Regional Investigative Reporter to serve a statewide California audience and support local newsrooms with high‑impact accountability reporting. This role is part of NEWSWELL’s new investigative team serving the Western newsrooms within its nonprofit collective.

You will use FOIA, data analysis and deep sourcing to produce exclusive findings, mentor colleagues, and collaborate with ASU’s Walter Cronkite School to engage students and strengthen democracy.

Qualifications

• FOIA/OMA strategy, document analysis, source development, meticulous verification.
• Solutions journalism: evidence standards, transparent limitations; no advocacy.
• Storytelling: distill complex information; organize multi‑month investigations.
• Digital fluency: SEO-aware writing, packaging, social/audience collaboration.
• Mentorship: collaborate with reporters and staff; transfer knowledge.
• AP style: fairness, accuracy, inclusion, and community journalism.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and produce original investigative stories with exclusive findings.
• Mentor local newsrooms and collaborate on local reporting.
• Integrate solutions journalism and audience interaction into workflow.
• Execute complex public records reporting and advance data analysis.
• Develop and protect sensitive sources across government and communities.
• Travel to NEWSWELL locations as needed.
• Collaborate with editors and impact producer to reach broad audiences.
• Pilot tools including responsible AI to enhance research.
• Partner with ASU Cronkite School for student engagement and newsroom collaboration.
• Contribute to an inclusive newsroom culture.

Skills

Investigative mastery

Solutions journalism

Storytelling

Digital fluency

Risk awareness

Mentorship

AP style

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in journalism or related field

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Five years of journalism experience with accountability/investigative work

Tools

SQL

R

Python

ArcGIS

QGIS

Job description

Regional Investigative Reporter

A regional investigative reporter at NEWSWELL will serve a statewide California audience and support our local newsrooms with a stream of high‑impact accountability and investigative reporting.

This job is part of a new standalone investigative team that serves the Western newsrooms in NEWSWELL’s nonprofit collective.

This experienced reporter will focus on investigative reporting that emanates from ongoing news in our local sites or on unique regional or statewide reporting that can be of service to our local audiences.

The team’s work may focus on a core topic area including:housing and income disparityurban policy and disruptionhealth care and health disparityagriculture and immigrationeducation and child developmenttechnology influence and malfeasancecriminal justice and rule of law

This reporter has the skills to originate, scope and execute sophisticated accountability projects that examine how power, money, decisions and public systems shape life across California and the West.

This reporter will use advanced reporting techniques — complex public records work, deep sourcing, data analysis and document‑driven research — and help elevate investigative standards across the team and our local newsrooms. This reporter/editor demonstrates skill at mentoring colleagues and collaborating on digital presentation, packaging and impact tracking.

This reporter may collaborate with the team’s senior statewide reporter, other team members and staffers from NEWSWELL’s local newsrooms, and should bring a mentorship sensibility to the role.Every piece of our team’s work will focus on two equal priorities: impact and audience connection:

IMPACT: All our efforts should pursue righting a wrong and demonstrating the power of journalism to improve public life.

AUDIENCE CONNECTION: Everything we publish should also be in pursuit of strengthening audience ties to our newsroom, through two‑way dialogue, public events, uses of new platforms or other methods to demonstrate public outreach.

NEWSWELL helps newsrooms become nonprofit and for‑community, providing strategic guidance, innovative solutions and operational support so journalists can focus on what matters most: serving their communities. Through partnerships with Arizona State University — named the nation’s most innovative university for 11 years in a row — NEWSWELL brings cutting‑edge ideas, research and tools to reinvent local news and strengthen democracy.

Our innovative model has earned us support from journalistic and philanthropic organizations nationwide. This new team’s work is designed to leverage and grow that support, so that we can grow and transform local journalism.

Submission Requirements

A cover letter explaining the key contributions you would bring to the role, and explaining how your clips shed light on the path to that role.

A resume explaining your professional skills and background.

At least three clips demonstrating aptitude for investigative impact and audience connection.

The pay rate for this role is

$70,000-$80,000

annually.

What you’ll do

Conceive, develop and produce original investigative and accountability stories that deliver exclusive findings, reveal systemic issues or influence and have measurable civic impact.Mentor and coach local newsrooms and collaborate on local reporting.Integrate solutions journalism, audience interaction and other innovative techniques into the investigative workflow.Execute complex public records reporting.Analyze data at an advanced level or collaborate with others to do so.Develop and protect sensitive sources across government, institutions and communities.Travel as needed to NEWSWELL locations and other reporting locations.Collaborate with editors and the impact producer to present stories to a broad range of audiences.Use multiple digital publishing formats when appropriate.Represent the newsroom at community forums and partner events; engage transparently with readers and stakeholders.Pilot new tools, including responsible AI, to enhance research, document analysis and workflow efficiency.Partner with ASU’s Walter Cronkite School and other academic institutions to create strong student engagement opportunities, including reporting, learning experiences and newsroom collaboration.Contribute to an inclusive, collaborative newsroom culture that values transparency, fairness, equity and community impact.

What you'll need

Investigative mastery: FOIA/OMA strategy, document analysis, source development, meticulous verification.Solutions journalism practice: familiarity with evidence standards, comparative case vetting and transparent limitations; ability to integrate solutions frames without advocacy.Storytelling excellence: ability to distill complex information; strong organization and project management across multi‑month investigations and faster accountability hits.Digital fluency: SEO‑aware writing, smart packaging, social and audience collaboration to maximize reach and comprehension.Risk awareness: strong judgment around legal, safety and trauma‑informed practices.Mentorship: strong sense of collaboration with fellow reporters and other staffers.Proficiency in Associated Press style; commitment to fairness, accuracy, inclusion and community‑centered journalism.

Relevant qualifications

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in journalism or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.Five years of journalism experience with a record of accountability or investigative work.Demonstrable experience producing exclusive findings, document‑driven reporting, public records work and data‑enhanced stories.

Preferred education and experience

Data reporting: spreadsheet manipulation, dataset cleaning, identifying trends; collaborate on charts/maps/visuals.Experience in visual production, shooting or producing your own images, video, social media content or work on other platforms beyond written stories.Experience reporting in California and the West.Experience with cross‑newsroom or regional accountability collaborations.

Preferred skills and abilities

Advanced data tools (SQL, R or Python) or mapping software (ArcGIS, QGIS).Fluency in languages other than English.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance401(k) plan with matching employer contribution22 days of vacation time11 holidays, including your birthdayParental leaveSignificant tuition reductionsProfessional development is highly valued at ASU Enterprise Partners, where employees are encouraged to look across the organization and nurture new areas of interest$30 bi-weekly cell phone reimbursementNEWSWELL is an Equal Opportunity Employer