POSITION: State Government Reporter for GothamGazette.com, an online news publication published by Citizens Union Foundation (CUF), a nonpartisan, nonprofit good government organization. The reporter covers state government and politics, with a focus on the governor, state legislature, state-level elections, and other key political figures, institutions, events, and processes.
The reporter is based in Albany, in a satellite office with the publication run from New York City, reports to the Executive Editor, and at times works collaboratively with other Gotham Gazette reporters and employees.
PUBLICATION: Gotham Gazette has a strong history as an online news publication focused on New York politics and government. Founded in 1999, Gotham Gazette set the standard for innovative and incisive online local news reporting being the first publication to aggregate each morning online stories from other news media. Committed to covering city and state government in tough-but-fair fashion, Gotham Gazette examines government policies and actions and reports more deeply on key issues than many other publications, taking an enterprise-story approach. The publication aims to illuminate areas of government and public policy otherwise ignored or underreported by other news outlets, and provides well-researched, balanced, long-form articles.
Gotham Gazette publishes new reporting and commentary most days of the week and produces a weekday morning e-newsletter of original and aggregated stories.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The State Government Reporter will:
Report directly to the Executive Editor.
Work collaboratively with other members of the Gotham Gazette team, including the City Government Reporter, Website Manager, and others.
Work mostly out of an office in the State Capitol in Albany.
Cover state government and politics, with a focus on the governor and the legislature, but also reporting on other statewide and local elected officials, elections, events, processes, and more.
Write mostly in-depth articles, with some day-of coverage of events and developments.
Focus on ethics, transparency, voting and elections, budgets, campaign finance and money in politics, government accountability, government and political process issues, and more.
Deliver at least 2 stories per week, often 3 and sometimes 4, depending on the week.
Write and/or edit The Eye-Opener newsletter 2-3 days per week.
Regularly come up with sharp story ideas and pitch them to the Executive Editor, and execute stories assigned by the Executive Editor.
Maintain an active social media presence, especially on Twitter.
Develop relationships and sources in and around state government and politics.
Become an active and forceful part of the political media ecosystem in New York.
Build the Gotham Gazette brand.
Others as determined by the Executive Editor.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:
Bachelor’s degree (preferably in journalism or related field).
Two years professional journalism experience.
Strong reporting and writing skills, including the ability to make complex information clear and interesting.
Commitment to accuracy and a balanced, nonpartisan approach to reporting.
Commitment to thorough, carefully-crafted articles.
Commitment to tough accountability journalism with a sense of fairness and responsibility to readers and subjects.
Deep interest in public policy, politics, and the civic life of New York.
Knowledge of and/or experience with New York politics (preferable).
Strong social media presence, particularly on Twitter (preferable).
Team player with a sense of humor and ability to work with others in a pressure-packed environment.
Ability to set and meet deadlines.
Ability to multitask, and to work on multiple stories at once.
Exceptional communication skills, both with coworkers and those outside the organization.
Experience in web-based journalism and effective use of social media platforms.
COMPENSATION: Salary is competitive for a small nonprofit news outlet. Benefits include fully paid health insurance including flexible spending plan, 10 days paid vacation to start, retirement savings program, and others.
ORGANIZATION: Citizens Union Foundation (CUF) is the non-profit research, education and advocacy organization affiliated with Citizens Union, a non-partisan force for good government for more than 100 years. CUF conducts research and analyzes the impact of proposed public policy and legislation at the city and state level. In its efforts to inform the citizens of New York and hold political figures accountable, it publishes Gotham Gazette. The publication runs autonomously on a day-to-day basis under the Executive Editor, with oversight from the CUF Executive Director and Board of Directors. Gotham Gazette produces original news reporting and analysis, a daily weekday e-newsletter, and more.
APPLY: Send by email a cover letter of interest and resume to Executive Editor Ben Max: bmax@gothamgazette.com
Note at 2/28/18 posting: we are looking to fill this position as quickly as possible, but can be flexible with start date for the right candidate. Interested parties are encouraged to apply immediately.