Education Reporter

Schools, families and communities today face challenges that go far beyond traditional concerns of budget management and building maintenance.

WITF is central Pennsylvania’s public media news leader, and we are looking for an insightful journalist who can juggle a mix of daily, short-term, and long-term stories as they dig deep into
current and complex issues confronting our school districts. We serve a central Pennsylvania audience of more than 2 million people, and our coverage is used by public media newsrooms across the state, and NPR across the nation.

The ideal candidate for this beat in the WITF Newsroom will have experience covering school districts, government agencies and/or local communities.

But this is not a traditional education beat covering institutions. Our coverage will be built from the ground up, engaging with parents and students to understand their goals, hopes and fears and crafting journalism that responds to what we learn from the community.

If you don’t have that experience, convince us why this should be your job. This reporter will be passionate about engaging with the community using everything from text groups to online AMAs to meet-and-greets. Our reporters use our innovative Mobile Listening Lab to gather small groups for focused conversations on complex issues.

We work closely with the Solutions Journalism Network, America Amplified, Braver Angels and other national leaders in innovation and engagement to evolve our coverage in ways that cut beyond divisive, partisan bickering and help people make better decisions.

A good reporter always runs a background check on a potential source or partner. When you look us up you will see a legacy of national award honors, and standard-setting journalism. You will see that WITF alumni are top-tier journalists at NPR and in major markets. And you will see why our new partnership with LNP|Lancaster Online and The Steinman Center for Civic Engagement will help us invent solutions for the next generation of local news.

Radio broadcast is our traditional platform, but don’t think of us as a radio station. We use every tool available to serve our communities. You will use radio, video, podcasts, direct engagement, newsletters and the web, and we will empower you to help us find the next great tool for journalism.