Grist seeks a climate news fellow

Grist is seeking a Climate News Fellow to join our Editorial team. This fellowship runs March 3, 2024-February 28, 2025.

With the mentorship and support of Grist’s editorial staff, the Climate News Fellow will be expected to write quick takes on the news, newsletter items, and more in-depth reported stories. You’ll help chronicle the progress being made to tackle the climate crisis, whether it’s coming from scientific laboratories, peer-reviewed journals, the halls of Congress, or companies and corporations.

The annual base pay for this position is $55,000.00. Grist is based in Seattle, but this job doesn’t have to be. We have staff around the country. This position is represented by Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild Local 37082 (“Grist NewsGuild”).

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Identify and pitch ideas for stories that identify the key issues in climate news — quick explainers, short analysis pieces, or smart, voicey aggregation
• Write 2 to 3 stories — including quick news and analysis pieces — each week
• Write and report pieces for Grist’s newsletters
• Assist with editorial duties including research, web production, and fact-checking
• Pitch, report, and write one enterprise/feature story by the end of the fellowship
• Contribute periodically to larger projects as part of a team
• Engage actively in meetings, such as story brainstorms and fellow trainings

QUALIFICATIONS:

The mission of the Grist fellowship program is to help underrepresented, early-career climate journalists gain a stronger foothold in our industry. Our definition of “early-career” includes but is not limited to: journalists who are relatively new to the environmental/climate beat, freelancers who have not had full-time newsroom experience, recent journalism school graduates, and scientists without traditional journalism training but with strong writing clips and content knowledge.

Other requirements:

• Four-year degree, or equivalent professional experience
• Strong understanding of Grist’s brand
• Demonstrated familiarity with environmental and climate justice
• Demonstrated experience in research or reporting
• Demonstrated comfort with writing on deadline
• Ability to make a full-time, 12-month commitment
• Legally able to work in the United States
• Living in the United States for the duration of the fellowship
• Available during standard work hours in their U.S. time zone.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

• Fellows across Grist meet regularly as a cohort with members of the editorial staff to develop skills and content knowledge specific to climate journalism
• Through our weekly Newsroom Training Series, fellows are also trained on a range of crucial skills, from filing FOIA requests to audio/video script-writing
• Fellows benefit from full integration into the workings of a busy and exciting nonprofit media organization
• Fellows come away with 12 months of solid newsroom experience, a body of clips, and fluency in climate and environmental justice issues

THE GRIST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Our larger fellowship program aims to provide a formative experience in a geographically distributed yet tight-knit newsroom through dedicated editing and professional development for early-career journalists. We encourage fellows’ full participation in staff discussions and meetings and seek their input on issues large and small.

Fellows can be based anywhere in the United States. Global health conditions permitting, they may work out of Grist’s Seattle office or New York co-working space. Many fellows who work remotely will be encouraged to report on stories in their home community that have national relevance.

THE APPLICATION

Applicants must submit each of the following materials:

1.  Resume
2. Cover letter. We are looking for a succinct, thoughtful cover letter that explains what you are passionate about when it comes to climate reporting, gives examples of story ideas you might want to pursue, and reasons you believe you are a good fit for the Grist Climate News fellowship. Applications without both a resume and cover letter will not be considered.
3. Links to two news writing samples. These can appear within or appended to the end of your cover letter. Writing samples can be newspaper or magazine clips, blog posts, or unpublished pieces. We will gladly accept links to multimedia samples (video, illustration, infographic, podcast, etc.) but cannot review original files. If you have a GitHub account you’d like to show us, please provide a link to your profile.
4. Candidates who are asked to submit a writing test will be compensated.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:  PLEASE READ

Cover letters must be uploaded as a separate attachment via Greenhouse. Please include “Climate News Fellow” in the document title. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please submit applications by 11:59 PT on Sunday, November 26, 2023.

If you have questions, please email fellowships@grist.org. No phone calls, please.

For further details click here.