National award-winning nonprofit news magazine Watershed Voice is seeking a journalist to fill its full-time staff writing vacancy.
Based in Three Rivers, Michigan, Watershed aims to serve as a reputable online source for local news and culture for communities across Southwest Michigan. We believe when citizens are informed on local issues they are more likely to be active members in their community. We work in direct contact with people affected by problems, and aim to listen and respond to our readers’ priorities and questions. We seek to highlight solutions to this area’s pressing concerns, in an effort to make our community a better place.
We value: substantive reporting, quality over quantity, equity, and community.
Rather than publishing daily or breaking news, we focus on in-depth, well-researched reporting on topics important to our readers. We’re not interested in collecting clicks and page views with flashy headlines or salacious subject matter. We’d rather get a story right than report it first, and provide context our readers need to better understand the world around them.
We value our people. As we grow our staff, we will aim to pay fair, competitive, and equal wages for equal work, regardless of an individual’s race, gender, age, sexual orientation or faith. A life-work balance is encouraged, and every full-time employee is capped at 40 hours to achieve that balance.
The wellbeing of our community is at the heart of our reporting. We live here, we work here, and what matters to our community matters to us. We will always choose people over profit, truth over popularity, and doing the right thing even when it’s hard.
While this position will be performed remotely, applicants must currently reside in or be willing to relocate to one of the following Michigan counties: St Joseph, Kalamazoo or Cass, and possess a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
RESPONSIBILITIES
• You will primarily cover local news and culture in St. Joseph County with an emphasis on original reporting and sourcing.
• A minimum of 10 pieces of original reporting will be expected weekly, ranging in size and scope, with photos.
• Will occasionally cover local meetings and events, but most stories will be produced organically either as assigned by or in collaboration with the executive editor.
• Conduct in-depth interviews with local officials, business owners, citizens, and other sources.
• Use social media and other tools to promote your coverage and engage with readers.
• Will be cross-trained to fill in for executive editor when he is on vacation or otherwise unable to perform content management via WordPress.
QUALIFICATIONS
• A bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field preferred. Two years or more professional experience is preferred, but not required, with equivalent demonstrated work in clips accepted in lieu of experience.
• Strong reporting and writing skills with the ability to produce clean and concise copy under a daily deadline.
• Demonstrated news gathering skills with a working knowledge of AP style preferred.
• Strong work ethic, with the ability to work independently and with the executive editor.
• Experience with multimedia journalism including video, audio, and social media is a plus.
SALARY
As an independent contractor you will earn $31,200 annually ($600 weekly), with at least five weeks of paid vacation (three of which will be taken by the entire staff during our designated winter publishing pause). Paid sick days will not count toward this number, and will be granted as needed within reason, by the executive editor.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your resume, a brief cover letter, and five stories that best show your abilities at [email protected].
