Southwest Virginia accountability reporter – Cardinal News

VIRGINIA PRESS ASSN; Bristol (VA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Paid holidays and vacation time

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) matching plan

Collaborative team environment

Job summary

VIRGINIA PRESS ASSN is seeking a dedicated reporter to cover accountability and enterprise stories in Southwest Virginia, particularly along the Interstate 81 corridor. The ideal candidate will engage with underserved communities, contributing to local journalism through original, impactful reporting.

This position is centered in Bristol and Abingdon, focusing on community-driven topics and challenges faced in the region. The role emphasizes collaboration and innovative storytelling methods.

Qualifications

• A track record of accountability reporting that elevates underrepresented voices.
• Experience with enterprise journalism — reporting original, impactful stories.
• Deep curiosity and respect for rural communities.

Responsibilities

• Report and write deeply sourced accountability and enterprise stories.
• Develop sources and engage regularly with local residents and community groups.
• Pitch and develop original stories that connect local experiences to broader systems.

Skills

Accountability reporting

Enterprise journalism

Community engagement

Story development skills

Public records and data reporting

Job description

Southwest Virginia accountability reporter – Cardinal News

Watchdog, investigative and civic journalist writing about underserved communities of Southwest Virginia along the Interstate 81 corridor, including Bristol and the counties of Washington, Smyth, Wythe plus Russell and Tazewell.

About the Role

Cardinal News is seeking a reporter to cover accountability, watchdog, investigative and enterprise stories in Southwest Virginia, with a focus on the localities along the Interstate 81 corridor. We’re looking for a journalist who believes in the power of public service reporting — someone who shows up, listens first, and shines light on the forces that shape our region.

This role is for a reporter who doesn’t chase the news cycle but builds it — through original enterprise work, consistent community engagement, and a deep understanding of the issues people face in the Appalachia area of Virginia. We want someone who can track how decisions made in Richmond, D.C., and corporate boardrooms affect our local schools, jobs, hospitals, and towns.

This is a multi-year grant-funded position by the Anne and Gene Worrell Foundation. The foundation is helping to rebuild local news in a place where the family once owned a vibrant newspaper.

What you will do

• Report and write deeply sourced accountability and enterprise stories rooted in Southwest Virginia.
• Develop sources and engage regularly with local residents, community groups, and institutions to understand issues from the ground up.
• Pitch and develop original stories that connect local experiences to broader systems and structures.
• Use data, public records, and in-person reporting to uncover information that informs and empowers.
• Collaborate with editors and multimedia colleagues to present stories across platforms — from written features to visual, audio, and social formats.
• Help build trust by meeting people where they are — including exploring nontraditional storytelling methods and attending local events or meetings.

What You’ll Bring

• A track record of (or strong interest in) accountability reporting that holds power to account and elevates underrepresented voices.
• Experience with enterprise journalism — going beyond press releases and breaking news to report original, impactful stories.
• Deep curiosity and respect for rural communities, including a desire to understand and reflect the realities of life in Southwest Virginia.
• Comfort with community engagement, from listening sessions and source building to co-creating coverage with audiences.
• Strong writing, reporting, and story development skills across a range of formats.
• A willingness to experiment with multiplatform storytelling (with support) — whether that’s short-form video, audio, newsletters, or public events.
• Working knowledge of public records, data reporting, and open-source research (or a willingness to learn).
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach and a commitment to journalistic integrity, equity, and transparency.

Preferred (But Not Required)

• Familiarity with Southwest Virginia or a background in covering rural, underrepresented, or economically transitioning regions.
• Experience with multimedia tools (photography, video, audio, or social-first storytelling).
• Comfort working remotely with a distributed team while staying connected and communicative.

Location

The reporter will be centered in or about Bristol and Abingdon, Virginia and be part of our expansion to restore local news in far Southwest Virginia. The SW news team includes an experienced editor who has lived and worked in the area for decades and two reporters. The other reporter is based in Wise County.

Bristol is home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol Motor Speedway and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. South Holston Lake – a TVA reservoir totaling 7,580 acres in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia — is just a short drive from Bristol.

Nearby Abingdon is a small town known for its historical nature and its appeal to a hub of artisans and crafts people. It’s also home to the Barter Theatre, the Martha Washington Inn and the start of the Virginia Creeper Trail, one of several recreation trails in the area.

Far Southwest Virginia has beautiful scenery and lots to do from its mountain views at Breaks Interstate Park to kayaking and fishing on the Clinch River to exploring one of the many ATV trails in the region. In the fall, you can see Southwest Virginia’s elk herd against a backdrop of bright orange, gold and crimson foliage, an autumn view that is hard to top.

Amid the beauty, are economic challenges as the region transforms following a serious downturn of the coal industry and the loss of manufacturing jobs. As it transitions away from an extraction economy, policymakers and developers are exploring the possibility of growth through energy development like small modular nuclear reactors or microreactors, solar projects and data centers.

It has also become known as an epicenter of the opioid addiction crisis, which is currently bringing in millions of dollars each year through settlements with the major pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains and used for local remediation efforts.

There is no shortage of stories for a curious, enterprising journalist.

About Cardinal News

Cardinal News is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news site that serves Southwest and Southside Virginia. Our mission is to report the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia, and strengthen the voices of the people in our communities who have been sidelined in the commonwealth’s political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.

We were named Startup of the Year by the Institute for Nonprofit News in 2021, LION Business of the Year by LION Publishers in 2025, and were accepted in 2025 into the American Journalism Project portfolio. We continue to grow rapidly, with expansion projects underway to deepen our reporting and broaden our local news network to better serve our communities.

Our benefits include

• Competitive pay
• Paid holidays and vacation time
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Contributions to health savings accounts
• A matching 401(k) plan
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Most importantly: collaborative, mission-driven teammates

To Apply

Please send a résumé, 3-5 clips or portfolio samples, and a brief cover letter to [e-mail], explaining why you’re a good fit for this role and what you’d be excited to cover in this region.

We Value Diverse Perspectives

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not and will not discriminate in employment, recruitment, board membership, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.

We also know not every qualified candidate will meet every single requirement listed above. If you have most of them, and you’re passionate about serving communities with rigorous, empathetic journalism, we want to hear from you.