City of Boise Reporter

The Idaho Statesman seeks an enterprising local government reporter to join its award-winning newsroom in Boise, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in America.

Our City of Boise reporter covers the city government, including the mayor’s office and City Council, and other issues that arise in Idaho’s capital city. We’re looking for a reporter who can translate government actions into audience-friendly stories — and one with a knack for finding accountability angles.

Join the newsroom that exposed an unmonitored system of restraint-and-seclusion techniques in Idaho schools and prompted significant change with its reporting on a botched sexual-assault report at a state university. At the Idaho Statesman, we put a premium on breaking stories first as well as investing in hard-nosed, accountability journalism that our audience can’t get anywhere else.

Our journalism focuses on our local communities, and in that role we have the ability to spotlight problems, highlight solutions and truly make a difference — all the reasons you got into journalism. And we are part of McClatchy, a digitally driven company focused on innovation, with newsrooms in 30 communities in the United States,

In the last three years, our team has exposed problematic COVID-19 data reporting, examined all the ways the state has tried to shield its death-penalty practices from the public, sparked a change in state law on restraint and seclusion in schools and produced a series of stories spotlighting the individual struggles caused by our housing crisis. That work has resulted in numerous awards, including Idaho Press Club awards for reporter of the year, photographer of the year, rookie of the year and sports reporter of the year in 2022.

We are located in Boise, Idaho, a community that lands on many best-of lists for its quality of life. Our community features unique restaurants, many opportunities for outdoor recreation and a lively arts scene.

In our Boise reporter, we’re seeking a versatile and resourceful journalist who is as skilled in public records as she/he/they are in developing sources. You’ll need a passion for accountability journalism and the drive to sift through data, dig through documents and explain complex issues in an approachable way.

What you'll bring:

In this role, you will need to:

Focus on stories that build readership

Build engaging multimedia storytelling skills

Demonstrate speed, competitiveness and SEO savvy

Work well in a team environment.

The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:

College degree or equivalent work experience.

1-3 years of reporting experience.

Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works).

Strong writing skills, excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to “see the story” that is going to matter to readers.

Commitment to ethics.

Ability to build source networks and bring a constant flow of story ideas.

Ability to work collaboratively to aggressively tackle stories.

Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving.

Facility with data, public records and business reports.