Mountain State Spotlight seeks an economic justice reporter

We’re looking for a reporter who can dig into and explain clearly and simply to all West Virginians the reasons poverty exists in our state, the conditions that keep people in poverty, and the failures — and successes — of programs aimed at helping to reverse the cycle of poverty.

The successful applicant will put a premium on hearing directly from West Virginians experiencing poverty. They will be driven by telling empathetic, powerful accountability stories with an eye toward examining the systemic failures that hurt the state’s most vulnerable people. They will also want to help us make West Virginians experiencing poverty part of our growing audience,  by meeting the information needs of those neighbors, telling stories not just about poor people, but telling stories with and for them.

The job:

• Produce accountability stories about the people and systems that have failed to give all West Virginians the opportunity to meet their basic needs.
• Lift up the voices of people experiencing poverty in West Virginia, using narrative journalism to tell their stories accurately and sensitively, without verging on “poverty porn.”
• Use data to highlight inequities across counties and systems — exposing the ways some people aren’t served by their government and elected officials.
• Highlight the bright spots: report on innovative solutions around the state that are making a meaningful difference in people’s lives and could possibly be scaled up to help more.
• Participate in legislative coverage alongside all of our other reporters, following bills on your beat during the Legislature’s 60-day session and monthly interim discussions.
• Work with other Mountain State Spotlight reporters to best use our resources to investigate topics that intersect with our other beats (public health, economy, state government, the environment, and communities).

You’re a good fit if:

• You have a demonstrated commitment to journalism, and live to develop and execute sustained, powerful stories that spur reform.
• You have at least five years of local or regional reporting experience, and preferably some advanced data skills.
• You feel the urgency of serving West Virginians with the journalism they want, need and deserve, and are constantly and proactively coming up with ideas to do that.
• You can prioritize and work on short, medium and long-term stories concurrently and meet deadlines.
• You have a collaborative spirit and want to work with a team. You believe that we are all stronger together.
• You believe that legacy models for local media’s business and journalism are broken and that new approaches are needed to serve the public and our democracy.
• You have sharp news judgment, and have a record of detailed reporting and powerful storytelling.

Experience as a journalist in West Virginia or other rural Appalachian states is a plus, but not mandatory.

Our pay range for this position is $50,000-$70,000

To apply, or for more information, email jobs@mountainstatespotlight.org. Your application should include:

• Your resume;
• A cover letter telling us why you are the right person for Mountain State Spotlight’s team. Describe your vision of how you would approach an accountability-focused poverty beat in West Virginia;
• Non-paywalled links or PDF files of at least three examples of your best work.

Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis, giving an advantage to early applicants. For best consideration, apply by June 5, 2023.

For further details click here.