Politics and Government Reporter

Job Description

Mississippi Today, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom, is seeking a reporter to join our Politics Team. Regarded across Mississippi and the South as a vital investigative watchdog and champion of government accountability and transparency, the Politics Team at Mississippi Today goes beyond covering public meetings and legislative committees, digging deep to examine the systems of power in our state. 

The Politics and Government Reporter will be a member of this award-winning team, which serves Mississippians with engaging reporting that leaves readers better informed on critical issues facing our state. 

The ideal journalist will be someone who understands the complexity and history of Mississippi politics; challenges and threats to democratic values; and the concerns of Mississippians of all walks of life. This reporter will focus on daily/breaking news stories with a special focus on investigative projects that involve data, fact finding and in-depth explainer political journalism. 

Mississippi is a gold mine for eager journalists. In this position, you’ll travel the state and meet a diverse range of residents. As a member of Mississippi Today’s Politics Team, you will have an opportunity to work with some of the best reporters in the South and play an important role in fulfilling accountability journalism that will impact the way policy is debated and passed in Mississippi.

Expectations:

• Work with a small team of journalists who are focused on politics and government in Mississippi.

• Develop story ideas as well as collaborate closely with journalists and editors across the newsroom.

• Get people to talk, find willing sources and protect them while telling sensitive and timely stories.

• Build trust. Many Mississippians have for generations been victims of predatory actions from other journalists or media outlets. Mississippi Today seeks to rebuild trust with people across this state, which requires empathy, patience and savvy from our reporters.

• Work with our Audience Team and data and visual journalists to create compelling story presentations.

What you’ll get:

• The opportunity to work alongside award-winning journalists and make significant contributions to Mississippi’s only fully staffed, nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news and information source.

• Highly competitive salary with medical insurance, and options for vision and dental insurance.

• 29 days paid time off.

• Up to 12 weeks of parental family leave, with return-to-work flexibility.

• Simple IRA with 3 percent company matching. Group-term life insurance provided to employees ($15,000 policy).

• Support for professional training and attending industry conferences.

How to Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled.
Apply at https://mississippitoday.org/2024/10/03/job-opening-politics-government-reporter/

Job Requirements

It’s a plus if you have:

• At least four years of reporting experience — and it’s a plus if you have Mississippi and political reporting experience

• Proficiency with public records requests.

• Experience writing a combination of both longform stories and investigations.

• A demonstrated ability to work quickly under tight deadlines.

• A knowledge and understanding of nonprofit journalism.

• Experience working in a collaborative newsroom setting.

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