Reporter Fellow, Local Investigations - Mississippi & Louisiana

Reporter Fellow, Local Investigations - Mississippi & Louisiana

Office:
Louisiana;
Mississippi
Department:
Journalism

About the Role

The Times is looking for reporters with a local story idea who want to investigate it under the editing guidance of Dean Baquet, The Times’s former executive editor, and a group of veteran investigative editors.

The goal of the Local Investigative Fellowship is to provide fellows the opportunity to learn the ways and means of investigative reporting from some of the best in the business. Our fellows will be based in the communities where they are reporting and make periodic trips to The Times’s offices for training and support.

This one year program is for reporters who have a local investigative story idea rooted in Louisiana or Mississippi.

This is a NY Guild role based in Louisiana or Mississippi.

Responsibilities:

• Spend a year producing signature investigative work focused on your state or region that will be published by The Times.
• Under the guidance of Mr. Baquet and a handpicked group of veteran editors, you will receive the rare opportunity to learn the judgment, skills and techniques needed to excel at investigative journalism from the best in the business.
• 3 to 5 years of professional experience as a reporter covering a beat for a local newspaper or local digital news outlet
• You are an independent journalist or a journalist employed at a newsroom willing to provide a yearlong sabbatical

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience covering a beat and an idea for an investigative story that you have not had the time, resources or editing support to pursue
• Ability to bring a new perspectives to investigative journalism

To apply, upload a résumé, Cover Letter (as described below) and five clips. Applications that fail to include any of these materials or follow these instructions will not be considered.

Your Cover Letter must include at least one story idea or pitch, but you may include multiple if you'd like. Please limit each story idea or pitch to 500 words. We are not looking for polished story ideas or pitches. Instead, your answers to these questions will help us assess where you are in the reporting process and what editorial support and resources the local investigative fellowship could offer you.

• What is your investigative story idea or area of focus? How would your story expose something new, something no one else has already revealed?
• Describe who has been harmed and in what way. Is the harm enough to spark outrage?
• Will your story hold someone accountable? Who and how?
• What critical records, data and human sources will be required to tell your story? Describe how you have, or could, obtain these critical sources.
• What do you need help with to report this story, and what are the barriers?
• Can you give us a sense of what has been written about the subject? Please include clips of notable reporting on the topic.

We appreciate proposals that are as detailed as possible. Successful applicants have included specifics about what they aimed to prove through their investigations.

Candidates should submit five published clips that show excellence — in evocative writing, through high-impact news stories and by highlighting the voices of local communities. Your clips should be uploaded to the additional materials application question below. Please ensure to include the full text of your clips, not just the links.

What makes a good local investigation?

• Starts with high stakes
  How does the story affect people’s lives and livelihoods? Their health, safety and basic quality of life?
• Has a clear line of accountability
  Great investigations have a line of accountability to someone or some group with significant power.
• Reveals something
  Does your investigation reveal something that someone or some institution is trying to keep secret?
• Has a clear sense of place
  The most important element for any local investigation:
  How is it (e.g. the policy, the circumstance or the failure) unique to your community?

You may apply to the Local Investigations Fellowship once per calendar year. You may also apply for other newsroom opportunities, however separate applications must be…