Women & Girls Reporter

Job Description

Free Press Indiana News, a statewide newsroom launching this summer with a mission to provide Hoosiers everywhere with trusted, solutions-focused journalism, is hiring a reporter to cover the well-being of Hoosier women & girls. We’re looking for someone who is excited to travel around Indiana, especially areas underserved by news coverage, meet people and learn about their experiences and stories.

FPI News, a product of Free Press Indiana, builds on the proven success of Indianapolis-based news site, Mirror Indy. It responds directly to what Hoosiers, particularly those outside metropolitan communities, have told us in interviews and surveys they need most. They want clear, fact-based, nonpartisan analysis reporting that highlights real people, focuses on solutions and explains how decisions made far away shape life in their communities.

Few roles in local journalism offer a chance like this: to help build something new and to become one of the defining storytellers of Indiana at a moment when those stories are important and need to be told.

This is an opportunity for an ambitious storyteller and reporter who wants to earn trust, tell untold stories and make a true difference. The women & girls reporter will help set the tone for how FPI News shows up across the state — and for how women and girls see themselves reflected in journalism. Done well, this job can be a career-defining role.

THE ROLE

Working with the FPI News staff and partners across the state, including Mirror Indy (FPI’s first newsroom), this reporter will produce high-impact news coverage that reflects the lived experiences, concerns and culture of women and girls in Indiana.

This role is inspired, in part, by research from the Women’s Foundation of Indiana and Girl Coalition of Indiana, which outlined the key challenges women and girls face statewide. This reporter will investigate these systemic issues that affect more than half our state’s population to shed light on how state and local policies shape their lives.

Throughout Indiana’s history, women have fought for equity and justice, and many have had national impact. Some examples include entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker; Holocaust survivor Eva Kor; public housing reformer Albion Fellows Bacon; and record company founder Vivian Carter. FPI News wants to highlight those making a difference today, from the school board member who challenged teacher pay inequities to the CEO who was the first woman to lead the company.

You’re going to be meeting people, listening to them, understanding their POV. You’ll be illuminating their obstacles, setbacks and hurdles, but also revealing their milestones and breakthroughs. The stories told by this reporter should be a mix of those uplifting, heartfelt pieces and hard-hitting, illuminating pieces that could drive change.

The person who is most successful in the role will be ambitious and creative — producing a lot of high-quality content in all modern forms, from social posts to newsletters to articles to whatever tech developers or your imagination brings next. Your work should live beyond the traditional long-form article to reach people where they are, not where we want them to be to get the news. You should be comfortable on video and at in-person events.

Stories should resonate across the state regardless of whether the dateline is 5 hours from where someone is reading them. 

RESPONSIBILITIES & PRIORITIES

In this role you will: 

• Produce quick-turn daily stories
• Pitch and report enterprise projects
• Embrace varied storytelling formats, including newsletters, visual explainers, social-first reporting and other forms, and work closely with the audience engagement team to increase reach and impact
• Identify emerging issues and story opportunities early, with an ability to connect local realities to broader policy, economic and cultural trends
• Collaborate with teammates to integrate women and girls reporting into broader storytelling projects, including rural and civic accountability-focused coverage 
• Partner with Free Press Indiana’s strategic partnerships director and distribution partners to extend the reach of women and girls journalism statewide
• Regularly travel for reporting, community listening and relationship-building
• Maintain the highest standards of journalistic ethics, fairness, accuracy and accountability
• Appear at community events on behalf of Free Press Indiana

Job Requirements

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for a reporter who is relentless about building relationships built on equal trust, curious about the forces shaping life and energized by the opportunity to help build something new. We have a simple rule when it comes to identifying someone who is the right fit: Smart. Works hard. Ambitious. Nice.

• Bachelor's or master’s in communications, journalism or related field preferred or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least 5 years of journalism experience
• Demonstrated expertise with social media, including basic video production/editing skills
• Strong command of AP style, spelling and grammar
• Skilled at collaborating and working with teammates remotely
• Strong reporting and writing instincts and the ability to develop original story ideas rooted in community needs and relationships
• Experience producing stories that elevate people’s lived experiences
• The ability to translate complex topics into clear, engaging journalism
• Comfort working in a startup environment where you’ll help shape systems and routines
• An openness to experimenting with storytelling formats
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and projects
• Comfort working flexible hours, including occasional evenings and weekends as news demands

Location: Flexible within Indiana. Some preference given to candidates who live outside Indianapolis. The successful candidate will work remotely, and occasionally, in person in Indianapolis.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary: Up to $80,000, depending on the candidate’s experience and qualifications
• Full health benefits with 100% of employee medical premium covered
• Paid leave, including the final week of the year and the week of July 4 for all staff
• 401(k) with a 4% employer match
• Eligibility for annual organization-wide salary increases and performance-based bonuses
• Professional Development: $2,000 annual stipend for training and professional growth

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