ProPublica seeks tech reporter

Facebook and other online platforms are playing increasingly central roles in society: They help decide the news we see, the job opportunities we’re aware of and so much more. Just like other powerful institutions, their work should be subject to scrutiny. That’s why we’ve been reporting on them. With Facebook, we’ve shown how it has allowed companies to exclude older workers from job ads, allowed advertisers to exclude users by race and enabled advertisers to reach “Jew haters.”

We’re going to be doing much more, and we want you to help us dig. We’re looking for a technology reporter who will be part of one of the most innovative, cross-disciplinary reporting teams around. Take a look at the bylines in the stories we’ve done: You see straight-up reporters, coders, engagement reporters, researchers, statisticians and more.

You should have experience covering technology and tech companies, particularly on issues related to privacy and security. You should be to understand complex subjects and explain them in clear and compelling stories. You don’t need to be an experienced coder yourself, but should be able to talk to coders.

You should also have experience gathering and organizing data and using it to inform storytelling. That means being familiar with computer assisted reporting tools, which could include: SQL and database management; R or other statistical packages; and Python or other scripting languages.

We’re also looking for someone who:

• Has the curiosity and knowledge to develop a testable hypotheses that can be asked of a dataset
• Can file a lot of FOIAs and be organized and persistent about following up on them
• Has the patience to clean big datasets, just the same way that they would comb through a stack of FOIA documents
• Knows how to interview people and can engage with technologists on their level during interviews
• Aches to do stories that are both important and powerfully told

We know, it’s possible nobody may have all these skills. You can be a great candidate even if you don’t fit everything we’ve described above. You can also have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. We especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.

What you should send us:

The most important part by far is your past work. Send us your best stories, even if they aren’t about technology. We’d also like you to submit a memo that describes how you’d approach the technology platforms beat. What specific stories might you do? Tell us how you would execute them. How should they be told? How would you imagine achieving impact? Show us how you think.

If all of this sounds exciting to you, apply using this form.