MapLight, an innovative, award-winning nonprofit that tracks money’s influence on politics, is seeking a Political Reporter to join its dynamic team. In this role, you will work to unearth data-driven news stories from MapLight’s database of campaign contributions, politicians, legislative votes, industries, companies, and more. You will also play an integral role in the editorial direction of the organization, and possess solid news judgment and be able to quickly adjust priorities to accommodate a 24-hour news cycle.
Responsibilities:
Develop story ideas and write final content for publication, adhering to MapLight’s style and editorial guidelines
Ensure that all content meets the organization’s standards for 100% accuracy and balanced reporting
Verify facts, dates and statistics using standard reference sources
Adapt news stories for dissemination across various media platforms: print, web, mobile, and social
Work closely with data and research teams, editors, and communications staff while producing content
Work with journalists outside MapLight to fulfill research requests
Required qualifications:
Two years of writing experience working as a researcher or journalist in a deadline-driven environment; journalism degree strongly preferred
Demonstrated experience producing data-driven news stories with expertise and accuracy; computer assisted reporting (CAR) training strongly preferred
High level of proficiency with Excel
Knowledge of our democratic political process and the inner workings of U.S. Congress and/or the California State Legislature
Previous experience working with graphical representations of data
Solid organizational skills
A team player with a demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative environment
100% attention to detail; 100% accurate
Personal dedication to MapLight’s mission and work
This full-time position is available immediately and includes health benefits, paid vacation, and competitive salary. MapLight is located in downtown Berkeley (near BART). Our hardworking but casual office environment includes quality-of-life perks such as a fully-stocked office snack bar, bi-weekly team lunches, delicious fair-trade coffee, ergonomic workstations, and bike storage on the premises. Come work with us on the cutting edge of government transparency and accountability!
About MapLight:
MapLight is a nonpartisan research organization that reveals money’s influence on politics. Our groundbreaking transparency website, maplight.org, combines lobbying and campaign contribution data with how every legislator votes on every bill, making connections between money and votes that would previously have taken days or weeks to uncover available to the public at the click of a mouse. Our widely-disseminated, evidence-based findings highlight the relationship between campaign donations and legislative outcomes for the specific issues people care about, focusing citizen outrage and political energy on the root cause of government’s failure to serve the public interest: our broken system of campaign finance.
Since our founding in 2005, MapLight has reached over 315 million people with our data highlighting the impact of political influence. We’ve also launched Voter’s Edge, a comprehensive, nonpartisan online voter guide for the 21st century, and won a James Madison Freedom of Information Award, a Knight-Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism, a Library Journal Best Reference Award, an American Library Association MARS: Best Free Reference Web Site Award, and a Webby Award nomination. For more about MapLight’s work, check out the Stanford Social Innovation Review’s profile of MapLight (maplight.org/SSIR) or visit maplight.org and votersedge.org.
How to apply
Send cover letter and resume to the attention of Mia Zuckerkandel, Managing Editor, at jobs@maplight.org, and reference “Political Reporter” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No phone calls please. MapLight is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.