Senior Congressional Correspondent, The Christian Science Monitor - Washington, DC

Job Description

SUMMARY

The Senior Congressional Correspondent uses a home base on Capitol Hill to anchor a beat that delves into governing ideals and how they are playing out in politics and policy. The writer will take the lead in Monitor coverage of Congress, and is also encouraged to pursue some additional government and politics stories as opportunities allow.  The correspondent’s call to action is to think and act strategically, resisting the forces that would suck the writer into granular details and a pack mentality. The writer must be relentlessly committed to discerning what matters most for Monitor readers,  identifying deeper patterns behind events, and being ready to challenge accepted narratives about how lawmakers and lawmaking operate.

The Senior Congressional Correspondent approaches their beat with curiosity and open-mindedness and a willingness to set aside personal bias or prevailing consensus, and treats all points of view with diligent inquiry and respect. They prize original reporting and build stories that, for our audience,  promote calm over fear and insight over assumption. A Monitor journalist depicts the subject of the story fairly and without embellishment, and eschews advocacy. The Monitor equips the reader to reach his or her own well-reasoned conclusions.

The Senior Congressional Correspondent strives to uphold The Christian Science Monitor’s founding mission “to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent,” and its object “to injure no man but to bless all mankind.” That includes hewing to our five operational guidelines:

• Bring a healing, purifying thought to many homes. We counteract cynicism about news and humanity by upholding a higher standard of both.
• Get above the fray. Because we’re owned by a church, we’re free from corporate and political interests.
• Cover the day’s vital global news. We provide a trustworthy and concise compilation for our thoughtful, busy readers.
• Investigate ideals and endeavors, not just events. We keep abreast of the times by recognizing key currents of thought and their impact.
• Be clean, family-friendly, and non-sensational. We are “a newspaper for the home.”

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Congressional Correspondent embraces our newsroom’s three culture pillars:

• We’re scrappy. We seek creative solutions. We’re hungry and nimble. We experiment and streamline.
• We’re rigorous. We embrace others challenging our ideas and our writing. We strive for editorial excellence, and we help each other continually improve. We know that feedback is a gift.
• We have unwavering fidelity to our mission. We make our founding mission the basis for every decision and initiative.

Editorial capabilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Demonstrates strong reporting instincts and discernment, persistence, and professionalism in getting to the most valuable sources
• Shows a mastery of both deadline writing and in-depth pieces, including features
• Practices editorial rigor resulting in strong story angles and incisive, energetic writing
• Embraces a culture of feedback
• Understands, respects, and consistently applies Monitor style and language sensitivities.
• Engages collaboratively with editors and other writers
• Travels as required
• Communicates effectively with editors and, when needed, senior management
• Has a keen understanding of how democratic institutions work and relate to each other within the constitutional structure
• Complies with Monitor Ethics Policy. This includes not taking any public position on any political or public-issue campaign, including through social media posts, participation in protests, or donations to political candidates or issues.

Reporting Relationships
Supervisor: Politics Editor
Regular Contacts: National News Editor, other National desk editors, other National correspondents.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education/Experience

A Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years newspaper experience, or equivalent, is preferred.

Work Environment

Works in a bureau office environment.  This position is located in Washington, D.C.

Engagement with Christian Science

Membership in The Mother Church is valued, but is not required. The Senior Congressional Correspondent respects that, while the Monitor is not a sectarian publication, it is grounded in the healing mission of the Church that publishes it. The correspondent is receptive to developing a deeper understanding of how that mission informs and uplifts our journalism. For more background, see www.CSMonitor.com/About.

Pay Range: $100,541 - $130,702.40 annually 

The pay ranges disclosed in our job postings are the compensation ranges the Church reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for a given position at the time of posting.

The offered salary will be determined by factors such as the applicant’s relevant education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities; and benchmarking, work location, and internal equity.
 

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. 

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