Investigate Midwest seeks an agribusiness/meat industry reporter

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom, and our mission is to serve the public as a watchdog over influential corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. We’re establishing a footprint in Oklahoma with an agribusiness/meat industry reporting position.

This reporter will thrive on reporting and telling stories with data and documents in a remote newsroom of experienced and dedicated journalists. This reporter will find, explore, clean and analyze datasets, file documents requests (e.g., FOIA), and write articles for publication online and shared across our partners that align with Investigate Midwest’s audience. We value team players with a willingness to learn, teach and experiment.

This reporter will write about the economic, environmental, regulatory and labor issues in industrial agribusiness and the meat industry, specifically in Oklahoma. This includes concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, the large livestock facilities that produce the majority of American meat, as well as other aspects of the meat supply chain.

You will report to the Investigate Midwest managing editor and interact daily with the team and award-winning journalists in a highly collaborative newsroom. The stories you work on may appear locally, regionally or nationally or may be adapted into another idea someone wants to try.

This is a full-time, salaried position. The reporter can work remotely but must be based in Oklahoma.

Experience level: Minimum 2-3 years investigative, data-driven journalism

Education level: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in journalism with investigative, data-reporting emphasis or equivalent experience

As a member of Investigate Midwest’s team, you are expected to

• Write 2 stories/month
• Contribute 1 major project every 3 months
• Fact-check and produce reference/citation lists
• Conduct at least one records request/week
• Write the Graphic of the Week once a month
• Generate original story ideas and regularly pitch to your editor

Preferred qualities:

• Familiarity with the meat and livestock industry and industrial agribusiness
• Experience covering complex environmental issues
• Ability to submit and negotiate public records requests with a variety of government agencies
• Fluency in Spanish
• Proficiency in data journalism using programs like Excel, Python, R, SQL, GIS, etc.

To apply, please send a resume, a 1-page cover letter, 3 of your best clips (or projects you’ve worked on), and at least 2 references to the Executive Director Erin Orr at  erin.orr@investigatemidwest.org.

For further details click here.