GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTER, ARLINGTON

Location: Dallas, Texas
Job Category: Online | New Media
Job ID: 10070
Employment Type:
Salary:
Posted: 08.26.2024

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Occupations:

Job Description:

KERA is hiring a creative, enterprising Government Accountability Reporter dedicated to high-impact journalism in the Arlington area of North Texas. The reporter will focus on holding people and organizations in positions of power accountable through consistent coverage of the Arlington City Council and other city entities. The reporter will also focus on the lived impact of city policies and services with an eye to the growth and changing demographics in the region and the public institutions that play a defining role in Arlington life. 

 

WHO WE ARE: 

 

KERA reaches more than 4.5million people monthly through KERA TV, KERA News, KXT, KERA Arts, WRR and the Denton Record-Chronicle. For more than 60 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a destination for trusted educational programming and initiatives, community engagement and lifelong learning. 

 

As we seek to recognize and reflect the increasing diversity among our audiences, we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives to consider employment opportunities at KERA.  

 

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Arlington Accountability Reporter is a full-time position that is part of KERA’s Newsroom and reports to the Collaborations Editor. 

 

The Reporter will focus on holding local and regional officials accountable for the decisions they make and the money they control. Coverage focus will center on Arlington City Hall, Tarrant County, state and national government as it relates to Arlington; population growth and changing demographics and the City’s decision making related to growth and change; City organizations and institutions, including public transportation authorities, libraries, public parks and the police force. 

 

The ideal candidate is a fearless journalist with knowledge of and experience covering municipal government and policy. We are looking for a creative storyteller, who is audience-centered and able to tell stories using data. The reporter must be versatile, resourceful and resilient – and bring context to daily enterprise stories as well as deeper dives. 

This is an FLSA classified non-exempt position and is eligible for overtime. The position directly reports to the Collaborations Editor.  

WHAT YOU’LL DO: 

 

• Develop distinctive audio and digital stories focused on the KERA listening area, with statewide and national context and impact. 

• Focus on accountability journalism with high impact and deep substance 

• Use data and public records to find, inform and tell stories  

• Develop and maintain broad ranges of sources representing the diverse North Texas community as related to Arlington news 

• Use social media to gather news, shape and promote coverage and build relationships and audience   

• Deliver stories that are accurate, fair, meticulously reported and produced, and provide context 

• Work with the digital team to create stories that engage audiences 

• Collaborate with KERA’s team and partners to build expertise, including through training opportunities, contribute compelling ideas and experiment with storytelling techniques. 

• Fill in on newscasts as needed and cover breaking news in North Texas and beyond, sometimes outside the scope of the beat. This includes a rotating on-call schedule and work outside the standard 9-5 business hours.  

• Engage with the public in on-air, digital and in-person activities, including actively participating in KERA fundraising campaigns. 

 

As a KERA Employee: 

• Be an active participant in KERA’s work towards equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.  

• Work in a manner that is consistent with KERA’s mission, vision and values; and maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures  

• Perform additional duties as assigned. 

 

This list of job duties is not exhaustive and is subject to regular reviews and updates.  

Job Requirements:

WHAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: 

 

We believe a strong organization includes employees from a range of backgrounds, with different skills, experiences and passions. If you don't meet every job qualification but have some of these skills and think you’re the right person for the job, we'd like to hear from you. Please apply and tell us more about yourself. 

 

• A minimum of 3 years in journalism or relevant experience. 

• Proven ability to quickly write, voice and produce radio and/or digital stories. 

• Passionate and enthusiastic about public media journalism and serving a diverse Arlington and North Texas audience 

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity in reporting and sourcing. 

• Solid knowledge of Associated Press style, ability to exercise sound news judgment and follow KERA/NPR ethics and editorial standards. 

 

BONUS IF YOU BRING: 

 

• Experience with one or more of the following: digital and/or audio production; multimedia production, particularly photography or video; hands-on audio editing and innovative audio storytelling; working with one or more content management systems; other relevant technical expertise. 

• Knowledge of: FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) process, computer-assisted reporting, and data-driven reporting along with familiarity of legal issues related to investigative news reporting.  

• Knowledge of Arlington and North Texas people, cultures, issues and geography as well as national and international issues and events. 

• Working knowledge of Spanish and/or other languages common in Texas. 

  

SALARY RANGE 

$57,000-$65,000 annually, depending on experience.  

 

BENEFITS 

• Generous vacation (3 weeks), sick (8 days), personal time (2 days) and holidays (10)  

• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance  

• KERA-paid short and long-term disability, basic life insurance and AD&D insurance  

• Flexible scheduling and hybrid work environment  

• 403b plan with KERA-match after 1 year   

• Culture intentionally focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging  

• Robust employee assistance program available to the employee and all members of their household 

 

LOCATION 

We expect that this position will work out of the Dallas or Fort Worth Report office at least 25% of the time. 

 

HOW TO APPLY 

Complete the application on KERA’s employment page and attach a resume and cover letter and links to recent audio/digital work samples.   

 

KERA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 

KERA believes that diversity is important to our success. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.