Environment and Climate Reporter

Join one of Baltimore's Best Places to Work!

About the Company:

The Baltimore Banner is a nonprofit newsroom founded to bring high-quality local journalism to the Baltimore metro area. We are creating a vibrant, strong, trustworthy, and sustainable news organization, seeking to re-imagine the future of local news. Using a multi-platform news operation, covering a broad range of topics from local government to culture and the arts. We tell stories that reflect the community, connecting neighbors, holding government institutions accountable, and making sense of the world. All this work is grounded in truth. We believe we can contribute to a more vibrant, informed, and whole Baltimore, surrounding counties, and the state of Maryland. 

About the role:

The Baltimore Banner is hiring a reporter to cover the environment, climate change, and the effects the Baltimore area’s industry and industrial past have on the communities that live there. The reporter will produce enterprise, investigative and occasional breaking news coverage in various formats for a digital news outlet.

The position should focus on how climate and the environment affect communities within our coverage areas and what elected leaders, institutions, and others are -- or are not -- doing to address those issues. The reporter will write about urban environmental issues, such as the health-related consequences of lead poisoning or asthma, the effects of industrial pollution, air pollution from Baltimore’s trash incinerator and other sources, and the environmental impact of transportation and housing decisions. A large part of the beat would also involve covering the health of the Chesapeake Bay, Inner Harbor and other bodies of water. The reporter would monitor federal, state, and local government legislation and policymaking for climate and environmental issues.

We are a mission-driven organization focused on local news and improving the community. We expect all candidates to believe sincerely in that mission. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive newsroom with positive morale and culture. 

Responsibilities:

• Report and write about climate, the environment, and other related stories in a variety of formats: investigative; enterprise; explainers; daily and more
• Produce coverage that connects issues of climate change and the environment with the effects on people living in our coverage area
• Produce coverage that holds public officials accountable for their decisions – and the results – and keeps the focus on the impact on, and needs of, the communities we cover
• Write about urban environmental issues, such as environment-related health consequences, the effect of Baltimore’s past and present industry and policy and development decisions about transportation, housing, and other issues that affect the environment
• Cover efforts to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and what those efforts mean for people who work and live on and around the Bay
• Track environmental and climate-related legislation, policies, and research by federal, state, and local governments and academic and advocacy organizations
• Represent The Banner in the community as needed -- in person or on television or radio appearances 
• Use and understand newsroom analytics to hone and identify the coverage that serves readers

Job Requirements:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in journalism, including environmental and climate coverage
• Proven ability to write about environmental and climate issues in a sharp, innovative way that makes complex subjects engaging to readers
• Background or training in science a plus
• Experience using data to report and visualize stories is a plus
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Familiarity with open records laws and an ability to help reporters track down essential documents
• Teamwork and willingness to collaborate with others
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• Willingness to work some nights and weekends as news dictates
• A commitment to upholding journalistic values and ethics 

We take pride in our core values that outline how we work. If you possess the qualifications outlined above and resonate with the cultural elements below, we look forward to exploring this opportunity with you.

• Do what’s right. Honesty, morality, respect and the mission guide our actions and decisions. By doing the right thing, we inspire others to believe.
• Work together. We collaborate to create something special. Together we challenge assumptions, trust each other, take risks, and foster transparent and direct communication.
• Listen to be heard. Our stories are trustworthy. They are inspired by and created for our readers. Their story is our story. Communities are at the center of our journalism, and everything we do.
• Deliver impactful results. Acting as one accountable team and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, we deliver bold and innovative results. We act fast, execute and learn. We celebrate great outcomes.
• Be inclusive. We celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and act by curating a culture that leverages diverse perspectives as the key to fulfilling our mission. The Banner is for all of us.

The Venetoulis Institute embraces diversity and inclusion, and we are wholeheartedly committed to being proactive in inspiring a culture of inclusion across our organization. We are dedicated to establishing an organization that reflects the fundamental respect for different ways of working and living, and we assure every employee the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation due to a disability to participate in the application process, please contact careers@thebaltimorebanner.com to request accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, adjustments in the application process, modifications or assistance regarding job interviews, and accommodations to enable access to our facilities. We appreciate the value that individuals with disabilities bring to our workforce and encourage applicants with disabilities to disclose their needs for accommodation to facilitate a smooth and inclusive recruitment experience.

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Last updated on Jul 19, 2024