Staff Writer

AAJA24; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Atlantic is hiring a curious, ambitious health-focused journalist to cover Americans’ changing health habits and wellness trends. This staff writer will explore how our desires to eat well, exercise, sleep, and resist unhealthy behaviors shape the definition of a healthy life in the United States.

The ideal candidate will be skilled at parsing scientific research, reporting on policies, and interacting with influential figures, with a penchant for conceptual depth and persuasive writing.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience reporting on health, wellness, or science for broad audiences.
• Track record of developing sources and leading national health conversations.
• Strong ability to assess research quality and communicate complex findings clearly.
• Exceptional writing and magazine-style storytelling ability.
• Idea generation and willingness to pitch multi-topic health coverage.

Responsibilities

• Cover Americans’ changing health habits with depth and nuance.
• Report on health trends, policies, and cultural factors shaping wellness.
• Balance quick-news coverage with longer-term investigative projects.

Skills

Health journalism

Science literacy

Story pitching

Magazine writing

Source development

Job description

The Atlantic

n/a,New York, New York,10012,United States

Phone: n/a

Web: www.theatlantic.com

Company Profile

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Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Category: Magazines,

Employment Type: Full time,

Salary: $120000-$180000 per year

Posted: 10.02.2026

Job Description

The Atlantic is hiring a curious, ambitious, and science-minded journalist to cover Americans’ changing health habits. This staff writer will focus on the country’s virtues and vices: our desires to eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep, and conversely to smoke, drink, and indulge in what we’re not supposed to. Candidates should be obsessed with emerging health trends—and skeptical, when appropriate, of experts and self-anointed experts seeking to gain influence. This writer will go beyond service-style analysis or debunking to examine the changing definition of a healthy life in the United States.

The ideal candidate will be presciently attuned to new developments in health and wellness, and demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the cultural, political, and historical forces shaping them. This writer must be adept at parsing scientific research, reporting on shifting policies, and accessing influential figures. Conceptual depth and stylistic flair are essential. The role will at times include night, early-morning, and weekend work.

Other qualifications of the ideal candidate include:

• Substantial experience reporting and writing for a broad audience on topics related to health, wellness, and/or science


• A track record of developing sources, identifying emergent trends, and leading the national conversation on health topics


• Fluency in scientific principles and a superior ability to assess the quality of scientific research


• Exceptional writing skills and magazine sensibilities


• An abundance of story ideas, an eagerness to pitch, and a hunger to weigh in on major topics and news events


• The ability to balance reporting on pressing news with landmark longer-term projects

Salary minimum: $120,000; Salary maximum: $180,000
This position is based in New York City, Washington, D.C., or Remote.
This is a Guild position.

About The Atlantic:

The Atlantic has, for more than 160 years, advanced ideas that matter and sparked global conversation on the most important issues of our time. We aim to bring clarity and original thinking to questions of consequence, on topics ranging from politics, the economy, and global affairs to technology, science, and culture. As the third-longest-running magazine in America, we find ourselves at a remarkable moment: one of both continuation and transformation, of upholding our legacy while continuously reinventing ourselves for the future.

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The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC (\"The Atlantic\") is an Equal Opportunity Employer.The Atlantic is committed to diversity and encouragesmembers of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women,LGBTQ people, people of color, and people with disabilities.We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Job offers to work at The Atlantic are contingent upon the candidate’s successful completion of reference checks and compliance with The Atlantic's COVID-19 vaccination policy. TheAtlantic requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including subsequent boosters, and submit proof of vaccination status. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.