Berkeleyside is growing its newsroom!
We are looking for a senior reporter who will dig deep into what is happening at city hall, help Berkeley residents better understand the way local government works and impacts their lives, and will let them know how they can get more civically engaged.
The reporter will pull back the curtain on how local levers of power — elected officials, city departments, community organizers, voters, watchdog agencies, and much more — push and pull to shape what’s possible in Berkeley.
This is a high-impact, high-profile beat. We are looking for a seasoned, hard-hitting journalist with four-plus years of experience who loves to dig deep, appreciates the city of Berkeley’s dedication to public input, and will relish being first to report both on the city’s innovations and missteps. The reporter will write at least three stories per week, a combination of breaking news, in-depth pieces and service-oriented stories that help residents navigate government. You will also live tweet city council meetings.
Over 12 years, Berkeleyside has done much excellent city hall reporting, including coverage of the city’s response to its growing homeless population, its failure to pave any streets in 2018 in spite of funds set aside to do so; and how a council member who ran a red light tried to get out of a ticket.
Local government in Berkeley is an exciting beat. For more than 100 years, Berkeley has been at the leading edge of progressive local policymaking. It was the first city to offer health benefits to domestic partners (1984), ban Styrofoam (1989), float a ballot initiative to combat global warming (2006), introduce a so-called “soda tax” (2015), ban the use of natural gas in new construction (2019) and commit to removing traffic enforcement duties from the police department (2020).
The reporter we are looking for will believe that local news forms the bedrock of a healthy democracy and will be excited to be part of a six-person-strong, award-winning nonprofit newsroom that engages and enriches its community through stellar, civic-minded journalism.
The job is based in Berkeley, CA, though, given coronavirus, we do not expect relocation in the short term.
The salary for this position is $75,000-$85,000, depending on experience. We offer a health plan, four weeks of paid leave and a 401(k) match. The deadline for applications is May 24.
