CLIMATE, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

Job Description

CLIMATE, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

KERA and Grist are seeking a Climate, Energy and Environment Reporter to cover North and West Texas. Their daily and in-depth reporting will appear on both radio and digital platforms and will be regularly featured on NTX Now. They will work with partners across the state and country as part of a partnership between KERA and Grist.


WHO WE ARE: 
KERA
Serving the country’s fourth-largest media market, KERA reaches more than 5 million people monthly through KERA TV, KERA News, KXT, WRR and The Denton Record-Chronicle. For more than 65 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a destination for community engagement and lifelong learning.

As we seek to recognize and reflect our audience and communities, we encourage applicants from all backgrounds and points of view to consider employment opportunities at KERA.

GRIST
Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to highlighting climate solutions and uncovering environmental injustices since 1999. An award-winning media organization, we reach broad audiences and our work drives critical conversations on climate progress and environmental justice.


POSITION SUMMARY:
Climate is having a real impact on the lives of Texans. Destructive storms are causing flooding throughout the state. Home insurance prices are rising. Extreme heat is closing schools, camps, and youth sports. Changing seasonal temperatures and pest infestations are endangering crop yields. And the state’s electrical grid is struggling with reliability due to extreme weather and rapid growth in demand from data centers.

This reporter will cover a wide range of issues related to energy, climate and environment across West and North Texas. Their work will naturally intersect with topics including business, agriculture, land use, government policy, environmental justice, health, technology, wildlife and natural resource management. This role offers an opportunity to tell the untold stories of how climate is impacting the state and how Texans are taking actions in response.

The ideal candidate is a thoughtful and experienced reporter with a passion for elevating community voices. This person must balance policy knowledge with human-centered reporting mindful of equity issues as they report on challenges, progress and solutions in our local communities.

We’re looking for a strong audio and digital reporter who’s comfortable going live on the radio. The person in this role must be versatile, productive and resilient, with an ability to write, voice and produce quick-turn daily stories as well as dive into bigger-picture feature reporting — all while remaining firmly rooted in the ethics and standards of public media. We expect this person to write with depth and nuance about complex environmental and climate issues that have a real impact in Texas.

The position, created in partnership with Grist and based at KERA in Dallas/Fort Worth, will include regular travel across West and North Texas. This reporter’s work will have local and statewide reach through local partnerships, NTX Now, The Texas Newsroom and a statewide syndication network. Stories will also be periodically adapted for a national audience and republished on Grist.org.

This position is being partially funded by Grist, but will be an employee of KERA based in their Dallas or Fort Worth newsroom. The position is FLSA classified as non-exempt, is eligible for overtime and initially will report to KERA News Collaborations Editor.


WHAT YOU'LL DO: 

• Write, voice and produce engaging stories for radio, video, social media and digital platforms about complex environmental, energy and climate issues
• Translate important trends and news in climate change so readers can understand the impact on everyday lives
• Balance daily news and in-depth feature reporting with regular appearances on NTX Now
• Work collaboratively with colleagues at KERA, Grist, and partner organizations
• Develop stories with the deep substance, nuance and impact expected of public media and digital nonprofit news
• Work with Grist editor to periodically adapt Texas stories for national audiences on Grist.org and related platforms
• Cover breaking news, sometimes outside the scope and region of the beat and the standard 9-5 business hours as needed
• Participate in KERA and Grist editorial meetings
• Participate in KERA News’ rotating on-call schedule
• Participate in training opportunities with KERA News, KERA and The Texas Newsroom
• Actively participate in KERA fundraising campaigns
  
   

As a KERA employee:

• Work in a manner that is consistent with KERA’s mission, vision and values; and maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures
• Participate in fundraising activities as needed and assigned
• Perform additional duties as assigned that may involve KERA or Grist newsrooms

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. 

• Five or more years of professional journalism experience, preferably focused on climate, energy, and the environment
• Sound news judgment and ability to apply the highest KERA / NPR editorial and ethical standards with dedication to accuracy, fairness and attention to detail
• Passion for journalism, ability to understand complex issues and respond constructively to feedback to meet the mission-driven values of public broadcasting
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, knowledge of Associated Press style
• Undergraduate degree in journalism or a related field
• Demonstrated ability to tell a deeply reported, well-written story that includes data and narrative elements
• Track record of collaboration with colleagues from various perspectives and experiences
• Demonstrated sourcing, research, writing, and reporting skills and eagerness to build deep connections to West and North Texas audiences
• Strong organizational skills with agility to shift quickly and nimbly from deadline reporting to developing explainers to deep investigative work
• A solutions lens to report on scalable strategies for environmental challenges
• Demonstrated commitment to community representation in sourcing and reporting
• Reliable transportation required for assignments/activities

BONUS IF YOU BRING:
Knowledge of the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) process, computer-assisted reporting and data-driven reporting, as well as familiarity with legal issues related to investigative news reporting is a bonus.

• Strong audio reporting and production skills, and comfort behind a microphone
• Public radio experience
• Digital journalism experience
• Prior experience in collaborative journalism
• A passion for helping KERA and Grist reach new audiences with climate news and information
• Deep knowledge of the people, cultures, issues, and geography of West and North Texas
• Multimedia production, particularly photography or video; content management systems; other relevant technical expertise
• Working knowledge of Spanish and/or other languages common in Texas

SALARY RANGE
$70,000 - $78,000 annually, depending on experience


BENEFITS

• Generous vacation (3 weeks), sick (8 days), personal time (2 days) and holidays (11)
• 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
• 401k plan with KERA-contribution after 6 months
• Robust employee assistance program available to the employee and all members of their household
• Strong company culture focused on connection, belonging and professional growth

LOCATION:
We expect that this position will work out of our Dallas office at least 40% of the time. (Equivalent to 16 hours per week)

Time in office requirements are subject to change based on the needs of KERA and/or the position.


HOW TO APPLY:

• Complete the application on KERA’s employment page.
• Attach a resume with links to recent audio/digital work samples.
• Add an optional cover letter indicating why you’re excited about joining the KERA team.
• Portfolio submission and/or writing assignment is possible for interview process 

APPLICATION TIMELINE:
We generally close roles 2-4 weeks after posting. The hiring process may continue for several weeks after the closing of the role depending on the number of applicants.


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.

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