Investigative Reporter

Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Job Category: Online | New Media
Job ID: 72039
Employment Type: Full time
Salary: per year
Posted: 01.02.2025

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Occupations:

Job Description:

SUMMARY

Floodlight is hiring an investigative reporter to help us fulfill our mission to expose the powers stalling climate action. We are looking for a self-starting and indefatigable journalist who is as comfortable explaining esoteric energy regulation in simple prose while cultivating high-level sources and prying loose public records. The position will focus on documenting the changing nature of climate politics and policy — and fossil fuel power — as a new presidential administration takes office.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The ideal candidate for this work-from-home position will share Floodlight’s enthusiasm for collaborative accountability journalism and have a clear vision of how to evolve to best serve diverse audiences in a dynamic news field. As a three-and a-half-year-old organization, we are still shaping how we cover the biggest story on the planet. We are eager for this position to be instrumental in that evolution. We expect the role will evolve and grow with Floodlight and therefore will require some flexibility in how it is carried out. 

ABOUT FLOODLIGHT

Floodlight is a nonprofit, independent newsroom. Since launching in 2021, Floodlight has collaborated with local and national news outlets including The Guardian, Energy News Network, This American Life, the Los Angeles Times, the Texas Tribune, the Louisiana Illuminator and Capital B. Floodlight stories have reached millions.

Until recently, Floodlight published exclusively through local and national publishing partners. In April 2024, we launched a new website and began publishing directly and making our stories available for republication. In 2024, more than 60 news outlets republished Floodlight stories. This position will work closely with colleagues and with journalists at external partner organizations.

Floodlight’s model has shown how collaborative journalism can have an impact. Our reporting with NPR and Florida news outlets about how power company consultants swayed elections, spied on journalists and bought media coverage was followed by the departure of two Fortune 500 CEOs. The stories were seen nationwide and reposted by more than 2,000 outlets. The coverage was a finalist  for Harvard’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Floodlight’s reporting is nonpartisan, adhering to the standards of the Institute for Nonprofit News for financial transparency and editorial independence. While the organization is supported by philanthropic grants from foundations and gifts from individuals, Floodlight retains full authority over editorial content, and our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Read more about our standards & supporters.

Once you’re hired, our team of eight will consist of four reporters, an editor-in-chief, a chief operating officer, director of audience and an executive director. We all work remotely, with occasional travel for reporting, in-person meetings, industry conferences or events.

Job Requirements:

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Produce roughly four major stories, including at least one investigation, per quarter
• Participate in editing and rigorous fact-checking
• Assist colleagues in finding sources, records and data and fine-tuning story ideas
• Meet virtually with full editorial team at least twice a week
• Participate in audience development, including promoting stories on social media and making media appearances

ABILITIES AND EXPERIENCE

• At least five years of reporting experience
• Experience covering Washington, D.C., state government or regulatory agency
• A proven track record of breaking news/revealing new information 
• Resourceful and diligent — even politely persistently annoying
• Strong writing and reporting skills
• Excellent news judgment and commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
• Ability to juggle shorter and longer-term stories and projects
• An eye for how to nationalize a local story — or localize a national one
• Nut graph expertise 
• Comfort with a job that is demanding and constantly evolving
• Experience with data and public records
• Enthusiasm for experimenting with various story forms 
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well with editors and colleagues

SALARY AND BENEFITS

• The salary for this position is commensurate with experience, starting at $90,000. 
• Floodlight provides 25 days of vacation/PTO, plus 12 paid holidays, 10 days of medical/emergency/bereavement leave and 12 weeks of paid parental leave. 
• To give staff maximum flexibility for choosing appropriate health insurance plans, Floodlight reimburses health insurance premiums and other qualified health expenses up to the federal maximum (currently $529 per month for an individual and $1,067 per month for an individual and their family).
• Floodlight provides a retirement 401(k) plan match of up to 4% on employee contributions to a pre- or post-tax plan.

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We also encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities. 

TO APPLY

Apply by Sunday, January 19, 2025.