Posted On: April 17, 2018

Journalism Job

Media Organization: ProPublica

Company Description

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force. We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account.

With a team of more than 75 dedicated journalists, ProPublica covers a range of topics including government and politics, business, criminal justice, the environment, education, health care, immigration, and technology. We focus on stories with the potential to spur real-world impact. Among other positive changes, our reporting has contributed to the passage of new laws; reversals of harmful policies and practices; and accountability for leaders at local, state and national levels.

Investigative journalism requires a great deal of time and resources, and many newsrooms can no longer afford to take on this kind of deep-dive reporting. As a nonprofit, ProPublica’s work is powered primarily through donations. The vast bulk of the money we spend goes directly into world-class, award-winning journalism. We are committed to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs, and we practice transparent financial reporting so donors know how their dollars are spent.

ProPublica was founded in 2007-2008 with the belief that investigative journalism is critical to our democracy. Our staff remains dedicated to carrying forward the important work of exposing corruption, informing the public about complex issues, and using the power of investigative journalism to spur reform.

Job Description

Technology, algorithms, social media and platforms play central roles in our lives. The giants of technology have come to help decide the news we see, the connections we keep and the shape of our politics. They possess vast amounts of data about their users but often haven’t been transparent or responsible in their handling of it. We want you to help us hold them accountable.

We’re hiring a number of reporters to expand our work into how companies and governments use big data and technology to influence our world. (We’re also hiring reporters to focus on the business world overall.)

In our coverage so far, we’ve shown how Facebook has allowed companies to exclude older workers from job ads, allowed advertisers to exclude users by race and enabled advertisers to reach “Jew haters.” And we’ve shown how opaque and unfair algorithms are affecting everything from criminal sentences to car insurance.

It takes specialized skills to explore these areas, and that’s why we’re putting together a multidisciplinary team. Take a look at the bylines in the stories we’ve done: You see straight-up reporters, coders, engagement reporters, researchers, statisticians and more.

We’re open to reporters with any number of backgrounds and specialized skills, whether in data, engagement or something else we haven’t thought of. (Here’s an ad for a quantitative reporter to join the team.)

You should be able to understand complex subjects and explain them clearly and in a compelling way — whether in text or another medium. You don’t need to be a coder, but you should have a deep understanding of how technology works.

To Apply

https://propublica.forms.fm/propublica-is-hiring-tech-reporters