Reporter - Georgia Child Welfare

Job Description

The Imprint, a national nonprofit news outlet, is looking for an experienced, enterprising reporter to anchor our Georgia child welfare coverage. This timely reporting post will provide critical coverage for our national audience, given the political changes in Washington, D.C., and Georgia's pivotal role in U.S. politics. Ideally this reporter will be a full-time employee, but we are open to a contract/freelance arrangement with the right person. 

Our virtual but close-knit newsroom is unique. Reporters working from bureaus across the country focus exclusively on children and families involved with the foster care and youth justice systems, producing breaking news, features and in-depth investigative coverage. We produce balanced, high-quality news that is regularly co-published by other major media outlets. Imprint news articles are richly reported, and draw on our outlet’s deep, institutional knowledge. The published work informs policymakers, legislators, system professionals, parents and youth. 

There has never been a more important time for in-depth, nuanced reporting about the ways in which the government serves or fails to properly serve children and families. Our award-winning work examines the rapidly changing field of child welfare as it addresses intergenerational trauma and balances keeping children safe with the goal of preserving family ties. Each week, we expose harmful practices and highlight promising reforms. 

Ideal candidates should be comfortable obtaining and producing stories from public records, scientific studies and lawsuits. Basic news writing experience in a professional journalism capacity is a must. Candidates must be skillful in interviewing young people raised in foster care and those who have lost their children, with sensitivity. Other interviews will require parsing complex legal and social matters with politicians, policymakers, attorneys and advocates. Candidates must be comfortable working in a collaborative newsroom, and be attuned to the needs of vulnerable populations from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic and socio-economic backgrounds. 

The Imprint’s parent company is Fostering Media Connections (FMC), a national nonprofit journalism organization. FMC’s Fostering Families Today magazine serves kinship care providers and foster parents. The organization’s Youth Voices Rising program publishes first-person pieces written by young people who have grown up in state custody.

The Georgia Child Welfare Reporter’s primary responsibilities will include:

• Producing several stories a month focusing on child welfare issues in Georgia.

• Generating and developing story leads on the beat, in addition to receiving assignments. 

• Increasing public awareness in stories through reporting on topics that include family preservation, community-based initiatives, the role of relatives in foster care, trauma and mental health care, issues unique to Native American and African American communities, and racial disparities in the child welfare system. 

• Working closely with a tight-knit, diverse newsroom in a highly collaborative environment.

• Attending daily news meetings of roughly an hour.

• Working closely with an editor and a copy-editor on each story, which will typically go through several rounds of editing.

• Contributing to a monthly Georgia newsletter featuring our work.

• Assisting FMC staff with occasional online or live events focused on Georgia news and issues.

• Reporting periodically for Fostering Families Today magazine, The Imprint’s sister publication delivered to foster and kinship caregivers.

Job Requirements

Qualifications

We are seeking someone with at least three years of journalism experience. Strong clips are a must for applicants, and a writing test will be required for those seeking employment. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to write clearly and concisely and be dedicated to precision and accuracy. Strong working knowledge of AP Style, LexisNexis and other basic journalism news resources is required, as well as an ability to meet deadlines. Georgia residents are preferred, but candidates may apply from any part of the country (residency in the state of Georgia will be required). 

Above all, we are looking for candidates who are creative, curious, eager and interested in finding and telling untold stories. While some stories will be pitched to the writer, we need a self-starter who will find story ideas on a regular basis, and care deeply about the topics we cover.

Fostering Media Connections is an equal opportunity employer committed to maintaining a diverse newsroom. We believe that diversity strengthens the quality of our journalism and our workplace. We strongly encourage applicants of all races, ethnicities, gender and sexual orientations, physical abilities, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and national origins to apply. 

Compensation
This position will earn an annual salary of $60,000. FMC offers subsidized health insurance (after 60 days), a matching retirement plan, paid time off and a generous all-staff winter break. We are also open to a contract/freelance arrangement, if desired.

How to Apply
Please submit the following information, in full, through our application form:

• A resumé and cover letter

• Five clips (if your stories are behind a paywall, please upload PDFs to the application form or email them to jobs@fosteringmediaconnections.org.)

• Two story ideas

• Three references, with titles and current contact information

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