Reporter, accountability and enterprise

Reporter, accountability and enterprise role at National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)

Job : 73588
Job Views: 4625
Location: Norton or Wise, Virginia, United States
Job Category: Online | New Media
Employment Type: Full time
Posted: 12.09.2025

Job Description
Cardinal News is expanding its coverage of Southwest Virginia and seeks a reporter to cover accountability and enterprise stories in Wise County and surrounding counties along the Route 58 corridor. This role focuses on original enterprise work, community engagement, and a deep understanding of Appalachian Virginia issues, tracking the impact of decisions made in Richmond, D.C., and corporate boardrooms on local schools, hospitals, town governments, and daily lives.

The reporter will center the voices of the people served, delivering journalism through articles, videos, explainers, audio, events, or new formats.

• Report and write deeply sourced accountability and enterprise stories rooted in Southwest Virginia.
• Engage regularly with local residents, community groups, and institutions to understand issues from the ground up.
• Pitch and develop original stories that connect local experiences to broader systems and structures.
• Use data, public records, and in-person reporting to uncover information that informs and empowers.
• Collaborate with editors and multimedia colleagues to present stories across platforms—written features, visual, audio, and social formats.
• Help build trust by meeting people where they are and exploring nontraditional storytelling methods.

About Cardinal News
A nonprofit digital news organization serving communities in Southwest and Southside Virginia, founded in 2021 to report untold stories and strengthen community voices. Named Startup of the Year by the Institute for Nonprofit News (2021) and LION Business of the Year (2025). The organization values training, travel, and tools, offering competitive pay, paid holidays and vacation, health, dental, and vision insurance, health savings contributions, matching 401(k), disability insurance, and mission-driven teammates.

• A track record of or strong interest in accountability reporting that holds power to account and elevates underrepresented voices.
• Experience with enterprise journalism—going beyond press releases to original, impactful stories.
• Deep curiosity and respect for rural communities, with an interest in life in Southwest Virginia.
• Comfort with community engagement—listening sessions, source building, and co‑creating coverage with audiences.
• Strong writing, reporting, and story development skills across formats.
• Willingness to experiment with multiplatform storytelling—short‑form video, audio, newsletters, or public events.
• Working knowledge of public records, data reporting, and open‑source research (or a willingness to learn).
• A collaborative, team‑oriented approach and commitment to journalistic integrity, equity, and transparency.

• Familiarity with Southwest Virginia or experience covering rural, underrepresented, or economically transitioning regions.
• Experience with multimedia tools—photography, video, audio, or social‑first storytelling.
• Comfort working remotely with a distributed team while staying connected and communicative.

Please send a résumé, 3‑5 clips or portfolio samples, and a brief cover letter to jobs, explaining why you’re a good fit for this role and what you’d be excited to cover in Wise County and the region.

• Entry level

• Full‑time

• Marketing, Public Relations, and Writing/Editing

• Newspaper Publishing