Job Title: Video Producer

Mississippi Today, as part of our commitment to delivering quality, engaging journalism, is launching a new video team to expand our reach through dynamic, impactful video.

Mississippi Today is seeking two video producers responsible for producing high-quality, engaging vertical videos for Mississippi Today’s social media platforms, as well as supporting future video endeavors. Applicants with prior reporting experience will be strongly considered, as we value storytellers who can seamlessly blend video production that matches our newsroom’s existing journalistic endeavors. This role will require on-camera appearances.

Applicants are encouraged to include a reel of applicable video content — vertical or horizontal.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Plan, shoot, write, edit, and publish Mississippi Today video content across our digital platforms. This includes but is not limited to: reporter explainers, producer explainers, promotional cuts for Mississippi Today podcasts, promotional cuts and editing support for Mississippi Today’s ongoing video series.

• Communicate and work closely with Mississippi Today editors and reporters. Effective communication skills and comfort working in a collaborative setting are required qualities for this role.

• Appear on camera as needed. Comfort and confidence in front of the camera are essential.

• Monitor audience feedback across platforms and use analytics to inform content strategy.

• Develop original video content — general creativity and curiosity about changing media practices are essential!Expectations:

What you’ll get:

• Highly competitive salary with medical insurance, and options for vision and dental insurance.

• 29 days paid time off.

• Up to 12 weeks of parental family leave, with return-to-work flexibility.

• Simple IRA with 3 percent company matching. Group-term life insurance provided to employees ($15,000 policy).

• Support for professional training and attending industry conferences.

How to Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled. Please apply here. 

Questions? Email our Director of People and Culture at dpenny@deepsouthtoday.org

Job Title: Education Editor

Mississippi Today is seeking an experienced journalist who can lead our new education team.

Mississippi Today is expanding its education coverage to better serve Mississippians through nuanced and humanized coverage of Mississippi’s education system. Education coverage has been a cornerstone of our mission-driven newsroom since our launch. It is time to double down on our commitment to the biggest issues and greatest opportunities facing our education system by investing in the journalistic talent needed to cover the entire state.

The Education Editor will lead and manage our new Education Team, which includes two K-12 reporters and a higher education reporter. Our education coverage will focus on the intersections of race, politics and education policy in Mississippi, reporting on both the challenges and the successes shaping the state’s schools. Our coverage will explore the evolving landscape of educational opportunities, examining how policies impact access, equity and outcomes for students of all backgrounds. In all our reporting, we strive to center everyday Mississippians and how they’re affected by public policies.

The ideal Education Editor will be a thought leader — someone who understands the education considerations of rural and suburban Mississippians alike. This candidate should demonstrate an ability to thoughtfully create and oversee a multifaceted portofolio of reporting, including daily/breaking news stories as well as deeper-dive investigative features, to explore our state’s complicated public health framework and bring some much-needed transparency to its processes.

The Education Editor will play a vital role in helping Mississippi Today achieve its highest mission: holding power to account and informing the public about how public officials’ decisions influence the lives of Mississippians. Key issues such as public education funding, teacher shortages, the expansion of voucher programs and charter schools, and the racial and socioeconomic divides within the education system will be central to this coverage.

Importantly, as Mississippi marks 50 years since school integration and the emergence of private academies in response, this beat offers a unique opportunity to analyze the past and present forces shaping the state’s education system, delivering in-depth accountability journalism that highlights systemic inequities and potential reforms.

How to Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled. Please apply Here 

Questions? 

Job Title: Education Reporter

Launched in 2016, Mississippi Today is the state’s only nonprofit newsroom, with the largest editorial team in the region. Mississippi Today is recognized as a leader in independent, nonpartisan journalism in the Deep South. 

Mississippi Today is expanding its education coverage to better serve Mississippians through nuanced and humanized coverage of Mississippi’s education system. Education coverage has been a cornerstone of our mission-driven newsroom since our launch. It is time to double down on our commitment to the biggest issues and greatest opportunities facing our education system by investing in the journalistic talent needed to cover the entire state.

This reporter will focus on the intersections of race, politics and education policy in Mississippi, reporting on both the challenges and the successes shaping the state’s schools. Our coverage will explore the evolving landscape of educational opportunities, examining how policies impact access, equity and outcomes for students of all backgrounds. In all our reporting, we strive to center everyday Mississippians and how they’re affected by public policies. We expect this reporter to constantly seek and report the experiences of Mississippi students, educators and parents. 

The education reporter will play a vital role in helping Mississippi Today achieve its highest mission: holding power to account and informing the public about how public officials’ decisions influence the lives of Mississippians. Key issues such as public education funding, teacher shortages, the expansion of voucher programs and charter schools, and the racial and socioeconomic divides within the education system will be central to this coverage.

Importantly, as Mississippi marks 50 years since school integration and the emergence of private academies in response, this beat offers a unique opportunity to analyze the past and present forces shaping the state’s education system, delivering in-depth accountability journalism that highlights systemic inequities and potential reforms.

Roles and Responsibilities: 

Report and write longform and short stories and multimedia presentations about Mississippi education issues ranging from early childhood education to 12th grade.

Conceive and execute stories that help people understand education in Mississippi and make an impact, with a special focus on sharing the stories and experience students, educators, administrators and parents.

Cover educational governing bodies from the state education department to local school boards to help everyday people understand the implications of policy decisions on children, families and schools, with a special focus on reporting that helps parents better understand accountability ratings and standardized test results.

Closely cover the preK-12 education field in Mississippi, building relationships with teachers and administrators, education advocates and individuals and families impacted by the education system.

Communicate with colleagues on stories and projects: While there will be plenty of opportunities for solo projects and stories, Mississippi Today is a collaborative newsroom that often shares bylines. Collaborative reporting is the backbone of our newsroom’s award-winning investigative journalism, and the education reporter will have an opportunity to pursue such ambitious work as part of their duties.  

What you’ll get:

• Highly competitive salary with medical insurance, and options for vision and dental insurance.

• 29 days paid time off.

• Up to 12 weeks of parental family leave, with return-to-work flexibility.

• Simple IRA with 3 percent company matching. Group-term life insurance provided to employees ($15,000 policy).

• Support for professional training and attending industry conferences.

How to Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled. Please apply here. 

Questions? Email our Director of People and Culture at dpenny@deepsouthtoday.org.

Join the Florida Phoenix and give readers hard-hitting government coverage that connects state policy to Floridians’ lives.

The Florida Phoenix is an award-winning nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, politics and policy. It is staffed by veteran Florida reporters and is dedicated to its mission of relentless investigative journalism that sheds light on how decisions in Tallahassee are made and their impact on individuals across the Sunshine State.

Part of States Newsroom, the Florida Phoenix believes in enlisting and empowering journalists to do meaningful, ambitious work.

Based in Tallahassee, this reporter will thrive in a collaborative culture, possess great news judgment and demonstrate the ability to develop a beat to create compelling, engaging journalism. The reporter will cover the Legislature, state agencies, statewide elections, and other assignments, with an emphasis on immigration. Spanish language skills a plus. The reporter will produce daily and enterprise stories, take photos, and share content on social media.

The ideal candidate will know how to track trending topics and hold officials accountable through deep source building and public records requests. The reporting will take readers beyond press releases, providing a deeper understanding of the issues.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Produce regular, high-quality reporting on issues facing Florida
• Contribute regularly to the Phoenix’s briefs section
• Generate story ideas with the editor
• Pursue story leads, both self-generated and as assigned, with self-direction and solid news judgment
• Approach assignments on deadline with strong communication and follow through with the editor and colleagues
• Collaborate with other reporters on projects and share research and pertinent knowledge when/if available
• Establish and expand digital media presence representing the outlet and use personal social media to amplify the site’s content, presence, and voice
• Take photos and video to illustrate and amplify stories

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The minimum salary for this position is $52,000. Relocation stipend will be considered. Our generous benefits package includes:

• Premium-free platinum health care for employees and their families (i.e., nothing comes out of your paycheck!)
• 4 weeks of vacation per year
• 2 weeks of personal leave per year
• 20 hours of paid volunteer time per year
• 11 paid holidays per year
• $75 monthly cell phone reimbursement
• $200 cell phone replacement benefit every two years
• $75 monthly fitness benefit
• 401K with up to 3% match
• 12 weeks of parental leave
• Full-service EAP

ABOUT OUR CULTURE 

States Newsroom is dedicated to producing journalism at all levels – from quick hit to investigative – but we also aim to be supportive, welcoming and positive. 

We believe in creating sustainable careers for journalists on the crucial state government beat. States Newsroom’s mission is to connect people to the power that shapes their daily lives through relentless reporting and incisive commentary on state government and policy. Journalism is a powerful force for social change, uniquely suited to challenging systemic inequality and racism. Our goal is to build an organization that fulfills that mission. 

At States Newsroom, we believe we strengthen our work and improve our insights when we incorporate the perspectives of people who come from different backgrounds and have had different experiences. We are committed to diversity and prioritize equity in all recruiting and hiring. We are always working to better represent our communities and are supported in these efforts by a network-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice committee.