Senior Reporter

Job Description

CommonWealth Beacon Senior Reporters are responsible for producing original journalism on policy, politics, and civic life in Massachusetts.

The Senior Reporter writes daily pieces as well as long-form articles for regular publication. This reporter also serves as the lead author of CommonWealth Beacon’s daily newsletter, The Download on a rotating basis. While Senior Reporters are expected to be conversant and cover a variety of issues, this position will cover the State House and another primary beat (to be determined according to need and expertise).

This position reports to the editor of CommonWealth Beacon.

About CommonWealth Beacon
CommonWealth Beacon’s mission is to contribute to a more inclusive and vibrant civic culture that makes our government more responsive and effective by providing rigorous coverage of important issues affecting life in Massachusetts. We are the trusted source for in-depth news, analysis, and original reporting on policy, politics, and civic life in Massachusetts. We are nonprofit, non-partisan, and make our work available for free to all, with no paywall.

CommonWealth Beacon is published by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, or MassINC, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economic inclusion and civic vitality through the provision of unbiased research and journalism and respectful civic dialogue.

Key Responsibilities

• Pitch and produce original, well-researched, and accurate reporting on policy and political developments at the State House and on another beat (to be determined) – juggling a mix of daily stories and long-term enterprise pieces that meet CommonWealth Beacon’s editorial and ethical standards.
• Attend and report on public events as required for story coverage.
• Serve as the primary author of The Download on a rotating basis, including writing the lead story, collecting additional CommonWealth Beacon story links, and curating external publication story links.
• Serve as the primary author of CommonWealth Beacon’s weekend wrap up newsletter, Saturday Send, on an as-needed basis, including writing any copy and collecting story links.
• Collaborate with other staff across the editorial and business teams to ensure the smooth production of our news content, engage and expand our audience, and create a compelling product for advertisers, underwriters, and other editorial partners.
• Participate in events that promote our journalism, both in-house and in collaboration with external partners. This includes collaborating across all aspects of our events, including generating programs that align with our editorial calendar, coordinating panelists or other featured speakers, and moderating panels or segments.
• Contribute to other types of reporting content like podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Develop ideas for new types of content that can best showcase our reporting (e.g., video, data visualization, photography, graphics and illustrations, etc.)

Performance Expectations

• Regularly publish original stories (2-3/week).
• Serve as lead author of our Daily Download newsletter once or twice per week,  including links and the lead story.

• Submit stories on deadline and work collaboratively with editors to publish stories in a timely manner.
• Attend staff meetings regularly to coordinate coverage and share feedback.
• Work in-person at least 3 days a week, in coordination with events, interviews, and other reporting activities that may take place outside of the office.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the newsroom by sharing feedback and ideas and learning from other peer newsrooms and networks.

Core skills and competencies

• Excellent written skills, with a focus on translating complicated public policy issues into digestible and compelling stories.
• Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Well-developed news judgment on impactful stories.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Massachusetts political and policy landscape, its core institutions, and key players.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Effective interpersonal and communication style for engaging with other staff, sources, and other external partners.

Qualifications
A successful candidate for this position will have:

• At least 5-10 years of experience in journalism
• Familiarity with Massachusetts politics and policy, especially covering the State House
• Expertise in a key policy beat, e.g., transportation, housing, health care, etc.
• A bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or a related field

The following qualifications are desired, but not required:

• Experience in other mediums of journalism, including audio, video, data journalism & visualization, among others
• Comfortable using newsletter and website publication platforms
• Familiarity with the nonprofit news landscape, especially locally in New England

Salary & Benefits
The salary range for this position is between $75K to $95K per year. MassINC, the publisher of CommonWealth Beacon, provides a full suite of benefits including health care with HRA, dental insurance, 401K plus 6% company match, FSA and DCA, unlimited paid time off, generous parental leave, and 13 paid holidays throughout the year, among other benefits.

This role requires occasional work outside of normal business hours to keep pace with the news cycle, attend relevant events, and coordinate with the rest of the newsroom.
MassINC is an equal-opportunity employer. At MassINC we believe that diversity and inclusion is not only critical to our workforce, but to our overall mission and purpose to move the organization and Massachusetts forward. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

To apply, please send the following to Maeve Duggan at mduggan@massinc.org:

• A thoughtful, personalized cover letter that displays your qualifications, enthusiasm, and communication skills and style
• A resume
• Five writing samples that demonstrate your ability and interests as a journalist

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