Economic Justice Reporter

By most measures, West Virginia is considered one of the poorest states in the nation. The reasons for that are complicated and solutions can be complex. But we’re looking for a reporter who can dig into and explain clearly and simply to all West Virginians the reasons poverty exists in our state, the conditions that keep people in poverty, and the failures — and successes — of programs aimed at helping to reverse the cycle of poverty.

The successful applicant will put a premium on hearing directly from West Virginians experiencing poverty. They will be driven by telling empathetic, powerful accountability stories with an eye toward examining the systemic failures that hurt the state’s most vulnerable people. They will also want to help us make West Virginians experiencing poverty part of our growing audience, by meeting the information needs of those neighbors, telling stories not just about poor people, but telling stories with and for them.

The job:

Produce accountability stories about the people and systems that have failed to give all West Virginians the opportunity to meet their basic needs.
Lift up the voices of people experiencing poverty in West Virginia, using narrative journalism to tell their stories accurately and sensitively, without verging on “poverty porn.”
Use data to highlight inequities across counties and systems — exposing the ways some people aren’t served by their government and elected officials.
Highlight the bright spots: report on innovative solutions around the state that are making a meaningful difference in people’s lives and could possibly be scaled up to help more.
Participate in legislative coverage alongside all of our other reporters, following bills on your beat during the Legislature’s 60-day session and monthly interim discussions.
Work with other Mountain State Spotlight reporters to best use our resources to investigate topics that intersect with our other beats (public health, economy, state government, the environment, and communities).