Your Role:

MPR News is looking for an experienced data journalist to join our award-winning web team and strengthen our coverage. We are the only statewide network and known for our strong coverage of politics, health, the economy and life in Minnesota. As a data journalist you will bring demonstrated skills uncovering and reporting on data to tell stories that resonate with our audience.

 You will work closely with MPR News' digital team. You should be curious, innovative and creative, and eager to dig into data and try new digital tools to make our coverage even more distinctive on all platforms. You will be expected to talk about your reporting on the radio and contribute to radio stories as well.

The job requires solid journalistic chops, a creative, collegial approach and a willingness to step back and thoughtfully assess the ways journalists use (or don't use) data and organized information in their stories, and how they might use it to better inform their storytelling. This job will be based in the MPR Newsroom. You will receive story edits/assignments from the digital desk and other editors. This role is a Reporter II or Senior Reporter level position. While you have an assigned shift, per the news cycle and staffing needs of a daily news organization, you may be assigned to work an early morning, night and/or weekend shift.

Location:  St. Paul, MN

Compensation Range: Minimum hourly is $25.06. Exact hourly determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure and internal equity.

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Position Responsibilities:

• Use data to enhance and elevate our coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact
• Write and report stories based on data analysis
• Visualize data for our digital platforms.
• Contribute to our radio coverage
• Work closely with editors and show producers, as needed, on program and digital content
• Regularly employ federal and state freedom of information laws to gather documents and other data
• Record interviews for broadcast
• Write scripts, edit and mix audio for feature stories and newscasts
• Write stories for MPRNews.org
• Uphold journalistic standards of accuracy and fairness
• Fill in on daily news shifts and on weekends several times a year
• Report on live radio broadcasts as assigned
• Take images or create other visual content to support digital workflows and outputs as applicable
• Collaborate with editors, digital producers, radio producers and reporting staff

 Reporter II – Responsibilities above, plus:

• Cultivates sources
• Develops ideas/proposals for reports & programs
• Delivers substantive reports quickly – quick turnaround on varied subjects on a deadline
• Provides “live” reports and host two-ways

 Sr Reporter – Responsibilities above, plus:

• Guides coverage
• Breaks stories
• Performs public outreach as needed
• Serves as lead on special projects
• May be called upon to fill in as Editor and/or Host
• Other duties as assigned

Required Education and Experience:

• BA degree or equivalent work experience in journalism

AND

• Reporter I Level: 2+ years reporting or similar experience

OR

• Reporter II Level: 3+ years reporting or similar experience

OR

• Sr. Reporter level: 5+ years reporting or similar experience, radio reporting and beat experience a must. Preferred experience in leading projects

 Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Demonstrated data skills
• Experience with content management systems
• Experience doing data visualization
• Demonstrated ability to write for radio, broadcast and/or print and meet daily deadlines
• Intermediate to advanced-level HTML, CSS; Excel
• Ability to collect and handle small to large datasets
• Strong analytical skills
• Demonstrated record of accomplishment in journalism
• Proven ability to generate stories from public records
• Digital writing and storytelling skills
• Ability to undertake intermediate and longer-range projects
• Ability to use interviews, documents and public records, internet tools and social media to gather information, report and tell stories
• Demonstrated ability to tell complex stories in a focused and engaging way
• Track record of covering a beat

Senior Reporter:

• Experience leading and developing news coverage
• Proven ability to break news

 Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience with photography, audio and video
• Experiencing writing and producing radio stories
• Fluent in AP Style
• Data collection, analysis, visualization-related languages and tools such as SQL, R, D3, Javascript and Python
• Advanced design or illustration skills for creating and visualizing flat or dynamic graphics
• Knowledge of state and federal data practice and FOIA laws, open records and privacy lawsSkills in Adobe products, preferably Adobe Illustrator
• Experience using social media to promote graphics/stories

 Reporting To This Position:  None

 Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation
• Physical Demands: 
• Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time
• Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping.  
• Working Conditions: 
  • Moderate noise level
  • Occasional exposure to prevalent weather conditions 

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply.