Houston Political Power Reporter
From Houston City Hall to suburban government centers to congressional offices, Greater Houston is so massive that deep dives into what’s really happening inside those places can get overshadowed by the day-to-day. We’re looking for a reporter to go a level deeper into these corridors of power, mining campaign finance records and contract awards to figure out who is helping whom both within Houston proper and throughout the region – and how that impacts everyday citizens’ lives.
Job Description: The Houston Chronicle – named the state’s best news organization by the Texas Managing Editors five years running – is seeking a hard-charging reporter to bring an investigative reporter’s mindset to our daily political and government report. This position sits within the Houston Politics & Government Team but will intersect with reporters throughout the newsroom, including ones on the team itself, in Austin and Washington, D.C.
What will you do?
Develop stories that hold power accountable and inform the public of how their tax dollars are being spent through a variety of methods: TPIA requests, writing off the news of the day and doing old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting, including attending government meetings and developing sources
Be the Chronicle’s authority on campaign finance at the local, state and federal levels, and determine how that money is influencing policy. This is a follow-the-money beat in a city where there’s a lot of money to go around, especially in the citywide elections later this year (including for an open mayoral seat)
Vacuum up as many public databases as possible: Government payrolls (including overtime), liquor licenses, new business licenses, etc. Use these to connect the dots both in Houston and Greater Houston
Think differently about the traditional approach to government reporting, e.g. what was once a story could now be an interactive graphic or searchable database
When controversy erupts, go a level deeper and be the first to file TPIA requests for emails, text messages and other communications to eventually explain what happened, when – and who wins and who loses as a result
Work collaboratively with other Chronicle team leaders, the visual team, the data team and the audience team to bring stories to life.
Be able to quickly produce well-reported, well-sourced, compelling reporting. This is not a beat where you will write two stories a year.
What will it take to be successful?
We want this reporter to eat with a fork, not a spoon, and understand that a mix of stories – short, long, data-driven -- drives awareness of one’s byline, which drives tips and source building, which drives deeper reporting. We’re looking for:
Someone who has at least 7 years’ experience as a beat and/or investigative reporter – with the understanding that this is not an I-Team role. Knowledge of Houston and Harris County politics is preferred, but not required. (Experience with politics and government in another city, if not Houston, is strongly preferred)
Someone who can juggle daily stories with short- and long-term enterprise, as well as alternative story formats
Someone who’s had experience covering money in politics, and has clips to show proficiency in doing so
Someone familiar with best practices on social media, knowing that this is key to getting eyeballs on great journalism
Someone who is passionate about holding power to account and write stories that engage readers in one of the most ethnically diverse metro areas in the world
When applying, please include a cover letter, resume and up to seven clips that show your ability to do as much of the above as possible.
About the Houston Chronicle:
The Houston Chronicle serves Houston’s 2.3 million residents — as well as all of Texas — with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston’s largest websites, HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com, along with our newspaper and magazine brands. The content and innovative business solutions we provide invite readers to join conversations about communities we’ve been helping prosper for more than 120 years.
About Hearst Newspapers:
With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.