Engagement Reporter

ProPublica is looking for an enagement reporter eligible to work in the U.S. (remote work possible) to conduct its signature crowdsourced investigations, using everything from callouts and tip lines to citizen-fueled science. The engagement reporter will team up with colleagues across the country to gather evidence and receipts for hard-hitting, community-driven stories. They may also work with external partners on long- and short-term projects through ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network.

Key Responsibilities 

• Identify promising crowdsourcing opportunities and team up with other reporters to do investigative stories that rely on community outreach and engagement.
• Craft and manage callouts, surveys and other crowdsourcing tools for investigations. Help keep track of ProPublica’s extensive network of respondents to its previous callouts, and help reporters reengage relevant groups as reporting lines arise.
• Research communities and get to know people who live and work in the places its covering. Strategize methods to engage sources clearly, effectively and compassionately.
• Listen for, pitch and take the lead on service journalism opportunities, such as tools and guides.
• Review, flag and sometimes follow up on promising tips that come in through ProPublica’s newsroom tip lines. Identify themes and promising angles.
• Develop relationships with long-term community sources, such as union stewards, members of the clergy, Reddit moderators, petition managers and other local leaders.
• Collaborate with national, local and specialty reporting teams across ProPublica and in our many partner newsrooms, including through our Local Reporting Network.
• Brainstorm the biggest ideas you can imagine with a team of the most creative engagement journalists in the country.

This job is full time and includes benefits. ProPublica is based in New York, but we’re open to remote candidates. ProPublica has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Chicago; Phoenix; and Berkeley, California. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

Requirements

• You have at least three years of journalism experience, either in reporting or an engagement-focused role. Most successful engagement reporters come from backgrounds in newsrooms, but ProPublica is open to people with skill sets from different industries.
• You’ve worked on stories that shed light on injustices and hold the powerful accountable. You don’t need to have done months long investigations, but you do need experience reporting.
• You’ve got a track record of creative outreach. Perhaps you’ve run a Facebook group, optimized headlines for search, built a newsletter list or user-tested an app. Maybe you’ve produced events, A/B tested mass mailers, canvassed neighborhoods or set up a listening post. Online or off, you had a strategy and you adapted it along the way.
• You’re an active, excellent listener and a thoughtful writer who can match your style to the occasion. You understand the difference between messaging the moderator of a Facebook group and emailing a PR person for comment.
• You’ve got a strong news sense, a keen eye for detail and the ability to connect the dots in investigations.
• You’ve got the ability to work independently and with teammates on collaborative projects. You like working with others, but you’re also proactive about finding opportunities and pushing projects forward on your own.
• You have the patience and organizational acumen for long-term projects. You probably have opinions about spreadsheets.

This role will involve occasional travel for team retreats, conferences and reporting projects.

How to apply 

ProPublica is currently accepting applications. Interested applicants can apply on this page.