The government reporter will be a critical part of the newsroom's coverage team and reports to the News Editor. This reporter will be responsible for daily accountability coverage of the mayor's office, Tulsa-based tribal governments, Tulsa City Council and other government agencies that hold officials and policymakers accountable, along with enterprise stories that dig into issues related to Tulsa governance.

The government reporter will be someone who can navigate the weeds of policy and politics but can also break down the stakes in clear terms for a large audience, empowering readers to participate in their own governance. Coverage will be proactive, rigorous, and responsive to the needs of Tulsa residents, particularly those in underserved or underrepresented communities. Through reporting techniques, including the use of public records and data collection, this reporter will shine a light on policies and lawmaking, how budgets work, and how public money is spent.

The government reporter will work in close partnership with the community journalism director in order to integrate community input and priorities into coverage of this beat.

The Tulsa Local News Initiative is a yet-to-be named startup nonprofit organization that has raised nearly $14 million so far in service of a vision to give everyone in Tulsa the local news they need. The newsroom will produce high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting, employing an innovative model for local journalism that is directly responsive to local information needs. In addition to a team of editors and beat reporters, the Tulsa newsroom will have best-in-class community engagement expertise, multimedia production, dedicated capacity for service journalism and research, and Tulsa Documenters. 

At TLNI, we value learning, curiosity and diverse perspectives. We are dedicated to equitable hiring and follow best practices to create an inclusive hiring process.

• Produce a steady stream of local accountability reporting related to governance that will serve Tulsa residents as a primary source of information they need to understand their public officials and policymakers and empower them to hold these leaders to account.
• Deliver a combination of day-to-day coverage and ambitious enterprise journalism that demonstrates how the TLNI will help residents make government work better for them.
• Develop a voice that is solutions-focused, and inclusive of formats needed to make information accessible and actionable to all residents, including guides, explainers, and other service journalism.
• Work collaboratively with other TLNI reporters to report on policy debates that cross into other beats. Work with our multimedia editor/producer and community/service reporter to make sure our content around public policy is visual and easy to understand for all our audiences.
• Work with the executive editor and managing editor to develop an editorial strategy for the beat and coverage priorities. This will include shaping and producing content for our website, newsletters, social media, and other formats.
• Work within a daily newsroom operation that is deeply collaborative, relies on teamwork and centers on a community reporting program that partners directly with residents to help inform coverage priorities.
• Collaborate and learn with the Tulsa Documenters; leverage the work of the Documenters, along with the newsroom’s community gathering spaces to make government reporting deeper and more grounded in community voices.
• Attend meetings of the Tulsa city council, agencies and boards, town governments, and the county board of supervisors as needed, as well as relevant community gatherings, to gather information for story ideas and research purposes.
• Develop a deep understanding of state and national legislation that affect Tulsa’s residents and use that knowledge to provide context for stories that localize these issues.

• Demonstrated commitment to local, public service journalism with a track record of producing and/or leading impactful reporting
• Strong understanding and knowledge of Tulsa neighborhoods and communities and respect for the knowledge community members can bring to the newsroom
• Years of experience in daily, local newsrooms
• Strong news judgment and strong communication and writing skills
• Ability to work under deadline and prioritize work
• Adept at problem solving, detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills
• Experience with and/or strong understanding of building digital audiences
• Experience telling stories on multiple platforms using audio, social media and/or video
• Entrepreneurial spirit — ability to thrive in a startup environment where team members are expected to learn as they go, think in innovative ways, and build things from scratch
• Willingness to work evenings as needed
• Strong interpersonal/communications skills - willing to negotiate and talk through issues in an honest and clear manner
• Ability to maintain confidentiality when working with sensitive information
• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse group of individuals inside and outside the newsroom
• Team player who helps and supports colleagues
• Proficiency in using public records and/or data in reporting

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $50,000-85,000 with a generous benefits package.

As a new organization, we endeavor to create a just and equitable compensation system. Salary ranges represent the full range of salaries and will be offered commensurate with experience. Entry-level and early-career reporters with fewer than five years of experience will fall within the $50,000 to $60,000 range, while reporters with decades of experience can expect to fall within the $70,000 to $85,000 range.