Democracy Beat Multimedia Reporter

Here’s an opportunity to help Pennsylvanians separate fact from fiction. After our Democracy faced its gravest threat and the peaceful transition of power was disrupted for the first time in our nation’s history, WITF stands ready to speak truth to power with this beat.

If you’re looking to make a real impact with your work, while defending democracy, join WITF, a public media news organization that has one of the most stringent election accountability policies in the country. As the 2024 election approaches in the key battleground state, your stories will be heard through a network of public media organizations in Pennsylvania and one in southern New York and nationally on NPR.

Disinformation and misinformation can weaken communities and subvert a healthy democracy. You will be responsible for helping our listeners/readers better grasp how misinformation and disinformation is negatively impacting their quality of life, policies impacting their communities, and the function of government at all levels, while keeping an eye on groups who look to damage democracy. Community engagement, solutions journalism and accountability will be pillars of your work, and you will avoid horse race coverage or old-school political coverage. You will reach audiences through engaging storytelling on-air and across digital platforms.

Your responsibilities will include:

Using community engagement to listen to what people say they want to know about elections, voting and democracy, and responding with journalism
Reporting on election- and voting-related issues in the state legislature and state government
Identifying mis/disinformation as it bubbles up in public and political discourse and responding with tools, like video and text explainers, to give readers and listeners useful information
Tracking the cases of Pennsylvanians charged in connection with Jan. 6
Monitoring platforms some elected officials are using to bypass journalists and speak directly to supporters
Monitoring platforms where extremists communicate, to pick up on potential threats to democracy that are happening in central Pennsylvania or across the state
Producing both daily and long-term stories online, on air and with video

We are seeking a journalist who embraces working on multiple platforms. The successful candidate must have a bachelor’s degree and must be an engaging storyteller with strong reporting, investigative skills and writing abilities. The reporter should be comfortable working independently, producing high quality photographs to supplement their stories, have knowledge of audio editing software, and the ability to appear on television and participate in community engagement events.

WITF offers competitive benefits that include medical, dental, and vision insurance, and a generous 401(k) with company match all starting on your first day. WITF also offers ample paid time off that includes vacation, sick, and holiday time along with a paid parental leave program.