City Hall Reporter

The Houston Landing is looking for individuals to add to our team of passionate people on a mission to advance democracy in our communities and strengthen the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time. Houston Landing is an independent, nonpartisan news organization devoted to public service journalism. Initially supported by three of Houston’s leading philanthropies including Arnold Ventures, The Houston Endowment, and the Kinder Foundation, we are building a team to support our efforts in sustainability and revenue growth.

We are looking for a City Hall and Neighborhoods Reporter responsible for telling important, timely and engaging stories about Houston’s city government and how its decisions affect everyday Houstonians.

First and foremost, this is a government accountability beat. We follow the money, but we also dig into policies, provide context and background, and explain City Hall to Houstonians. Our coverage is aligned to one of our key pillars: producing stories that offer solutions and improve civic engagement.

Requirements

What you'll do:

• You will cover important and interesting news that emerges from one of the most critical and competitive beats in Texas. These stories will range from compelling breaking news that needs to be written quickly for our website and newsletters to short- and medium-term enterprise that may take days, weeks or more of reporting.
• You will work with members of the newsroom to adeptly tell these stories in a variety of ways — traditional articles, videos, photo slideshows and online interactives. You and your supervisors will decide which format fits each story best.
• You will routinely attend city council meetings, town halls and other events to find sources and story ideas. You’ll visit neighborhoods and find stories about people who are affected by the decisions made in these meetings and uncover important issues before they reach City Hall.
• You will ensure your reporting prioritizes community information needs and includes diverse perspectives.
• You will work with your editor and the audience team to promote a social media strategy and determine how best to reach our key audiences.
• You will be responsible for any other coverage as assigned by the editor.

Who you are:

• You have five or more years of journalism experience with a track record of enterprise and accountability reporting. You have experience digging through data, budgets, campaign finance reports, audits and the like to produce stories that uncover what government institutions and elected officials are doing and why.
• You have experience using multiple digital platforms to tell a story.
• You have a flexible attitude that allows you to thrive at a digital startup and think creatively.
• You are curious, organized, always on the lookout for good story ideas and who knows how to stay on task to make those stories a reality.
• You are committed to our mission of finding a new path for quality journalism.
• You have a collaborative spirit, strong communication skills and a willingness to listen to diverse perspectives.
• You have a valid driver's license, insurance, and vehicle.
• You’re committed to accuracy and meeting deadlines.
• You have empathy, emotional IQ, bring authenticity, rigor and are fair.  
• Ideally, you speak, read and write in Spanish.

Benefits

Our Values

EXCELLENCE: We wake up every day with the intent to be the best at what we do.We hustle. We have grit. When we make mistakes, we quickly correct and learn from them.

INCLUSION: We aren’t all the same, and those differences are what make us better. We’ll respect each person’s uniqueness. Perspective, context and life experiences help us to tell the story.

AMBITION: We will be bold and creative, open to all ideas big or small. We really mean it.

FUN: We are not making widgets, although there is nothing wrong with widgets. We tell stories - and stories are often fun, so we believe in having lots of fun.

COLLABORATION: We are all in this together. We may not always agree, but we will listen to each other and communicate candidly and respectfully.

Benefits

• Compensation commensurate with experience, minimum of $70,000
• 401(k)
• Healthcare 100% premium paid for employee and 50% for dependents
• 20 vacation days
• Ten sick days
• Generous paid parental leave
• Hybrid work policy (initially we all work together to build culture)
• Stipend for development / learning

We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, veterans, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities.