Detroit Reporter

Chalkbeat is seeking an experienced, collaborative, ambitious journalist to cover Detroit schools as part of our Detroit bureau. Chalkbeat is the nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. Civic News Company is a nonprofit news organization and parent company of Chalkbeat and Votebeat.

The troubled education landscape in Detroit has been at the center of a national conversation about improving urban education and addressing inequities. The city’s schoolchildren are split between the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which educates nearly 49,000 students, and well over 100 charter schools – each with its own governance structure. Most schools, district or charter, struggle to meet education expectations amid high rates of chronic absenteeism that hampers academic improvement efforts. At the same time, extreme poverty, decades of disinvestment, and decaying buildings leave city students at a major disadvantage. Chalkbeat Detroit has been at the forefront of exploring the challenges and complexities of educating children in Michigan’s largest city. This reporter will be charged with writing daily news and longer-term enterprise stories about both the Detroit school district and charter schools.

Who are you? You are committed to local journalism and respect the transformative power of a good story. You’re a self-starter who is hungry to break news, eager to understand and inform vital public policy debates, and enthusiastic about creating new models for sustainable journalism. You are excited to follow important news developments in Detroit, but you’re just as excited to write in-depth stories that help readers understand how news and policy shifts are playing out for local students, parents, and teachers. You’re a strong beat reporter who can develop reliable sources. You’ve got the ability to write a range of stories, from breaking news to enterprise and long-term projects. Most importantly, you can serve as a guide for our readers—school personnel, education insiders, parents, students, and curious citizens—in explaining how schools in the city work.

We’re looking for an ambitious reporter who can hit the ground running on a beat. We are open to hiring a veteran reporter or an up-and-coming journalist with a few years of experience. This position will report to our Chalkbeat Detroit Bureau Chief.

The key responsibilities for this role include:

• You'll be responsible for conceiving and executing stories that help people understand how breaking news connects to the big picture, and how public policy decisions impact and connect to the people and institutions in Detroit.
• You’ll collaborate with our data/visuals team as Chalkbeat comes up with innovative ways to present news and distribute stories.
• You’ll communicate and build relationships with readers and key players in the local community through our regular morning newsletters, social media posts, and the reporting process.

What background and skills do you have? (We know not all strong candidates will have all the skills we list. That’s OK. What else do you bring to the table? Please tell us!):

• At least 3 years of experience covering education, government, or public policy.
• Familiarity and experience with social media.
• Comfort or experience working with data, research, and reports.
• Interest in or experience with reader engagement, including finding creative ways to connect with a diverse set of readers and use those efforts to inform our reporting.
• Knowledge of early childhood education, K-12 education, pathways to college, and state and city policy issues.
• Experience with building sources and generating story ideas
• The ability to write clearly, cleanly, and on deadline for quick-take, daily, and longer-form stories.
• A firm grasp of AP style.
• The ability to accept feedback and use it to grow.
• A passion for education and the future of Detroit and its children.
• Ability to report in a language other than English is a plus.

This full-time position will be located in Detroit. While the Detroit staff primarily works remotely, the role will require occasional trips to our coworking space at TechTown in Detroit.

The salary range is $65,000 to $75,000 commensurate with experience, with a generous benefits package, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance
• 20 days of PTO and a paid winter recess from December 26-31
• 401(k) matching program
• Paid parental leave

This is a role covered by the CBA with the Writers Guild of America, East.

About Civic News Company

At Civic News Company, our mission is helping people understand how America works so they can make it work better. Committed to equal employment opportunities, Civic News Company welcomes applicants and employees from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply and contribute to our shared vision.

Civic News Company participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Civic News Company is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before Civic News Company can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Civic News Company can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.