Get new jobs for this search by email

***This is NOT your typical reporter job posting and may sound counterintuitive to traditional mainstream media reporters***

Status Coup News is the leading independent news outlet reporting ON-THE-GROUND across America on stories the mainstream media typically ignores and/or abandons. We are known for in-the-trenches reporting that covers forgotten communities and stories while lifting the voices of Americans not typically given one by mainstream media. Now we’re looking for a full-time reporter to report in-the-field across the country, and when not traveling in-the-field, pursue and break investigative stories on political corruption, exploitation of workers, environmental disasters/corporate sacrifice zones, the new Gilded Age (gentrification, shrinking middle class, AI and automation replacing jobs, poverty, increasing homelessness), and much more.

Simply put—we're not a traditional mainstream media outlet built around covering the political “horse race,” hot news of the day, and safeguarding access to politicians. We exist outside the corporate media echo chamber with a mission to highlight the voices of forgotten and ignored communities while also exposing corruption and injustice. We currently have over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube and are growing rapidly.

WATCH OUR PROMO VIDEO

Our investigative/on-the-ground reporter will be expected to:

• Identify stories that resonate with our audience and are being underreported and/or ignored by mainstream media.
• Build a rolodex of sources for stories you are covering in order to break news (activists, community members, government or corporate insiders, etc).
• Based on your source building, dig for and, when possible, obtain confidential documents that would help break news/expose corruption.
• Find and book guests for interviews ON-THE-GROUND and in-studio (activists, community members, experts, etc).
• Cover protests and other live events on-the-ground.
• Write news stories on our Substack and other platforms.
• When needed, produce videos based off your interviews.
• When not reporting on-the-ground, host full-hour livestreams on our YouTube channel.
• When not reporting on-the-ground, record videos on stories you're covering and relevant news stories.

Who We ARE Looking For:

• 2-4 years reporting experience (preferably w/ on-camera experience). If no on-camera experience, ability to quickly develop/grow on-camera.
• Passionate and charismatic journalist who can both report/break news AND also attract viewers through their personality and charisma. We want a reporter who IS passionate and shows it; IS angry and frustrated with government and corporate corruption and shows it; and has the ability to both break stories AND attract an audience through their on-camera delivery and personality.
• HUNGER. Journalistic skills/on-camera delivery can be taught and improved— hunger and curiosity can't. We want a self-starter who is not looking for a 9-5 job (there will be some nights and weekend work depending on news and reporting trips you take). We want someone hungry to break news, dig for corruption and injustice, and report on-the-ground covering stories that aren’t covered in-depth elsewhere.
• Subscribes to a “f*ck the echo chamber philosophy”—someone drawn to finding, covering, and breaking stories that are not being covered endlessly by every other outlet; someone dedicated to staying on important stories long after the mainstream media has abandoned them.
• Has the ability to explain and persuade audiences on the BIG PICTURE—why should a local story we are covering in one city matter to the rest of the county? For example, why does an environmental disaster in Flint, Michigan or East Palestine, Ohio actually affect all of us?
• Embraces multi-tasking and helping us grow. We're a small media company proudly without funding from big corporations and mega political donors; in addition to reporting ON-THE-GROUND, you'll be tasked with passionately urging and persuading viewers to sign up as paying members.
• Unafraid to challenge politicians, the powerful, and even ignorant folks on-the-ground (example: political rallies, protests, etc).
• Able to juggle and handle day-to-day-reporting with lots of incoming fire; you will get LOTS of calls, texts, emails, DMs from activists and community members wanting you to cover their stories—and they’ll reach out in the morning, at night, and weekends (you're not expected to respond to all).

Who We ARE NOT Looking For:

• A traditional “neutral” (robot) reporter trained to report “this side says A, the other side says B, we are neutral, so you decide what the truth is." We are not neutral: we have a progressive, pro-worker, anti-corruption worldview. Rather than feign neutrality—which no mainstream media journalists really are—we are looking for a passionate, charismatic, and objective journalist whose north star is getting the facts correct. As long as your facts are correct, you are free to express your opinion and analysis on stories you are reporting on.
• A reporter seeking to join the cushy club by becoming pals with political and corporate insiders, political pundits, and wealthy people. We're NOT an access-oriented news outlet; we prioritize building sources and relationships with people on-the-ground closest to what’s really going on (activists, community members, residents, etc).
• A reporter who thinks they already know it all and is not open to learning and/or constructive criticism and mentorship.
• A reporter who is laser-focused on only a few topics/issues. In this role, one day you can be covering political corruption and the next you may pivot to water contamination or a workers’ union drive. You have to be willing to be flexible and cover everything and anything.
• We love activists, but we’re not looking for a political activist in this role.

Skills/Experience Requirements

• Willing to travel for on-the-ground reporting (depending on story—it could be for a few days; it could be for 7-10 days)
• Strong on-camera presence and delivery
• Ability to handle breaking news and tense situations on-the-ground
• Strong writing skills
• Schedule flexibility (some nights and weekend work)
• Prefer someone with vehicle/ability to drive for nearby reporting assignments

Education Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in journalism or related field

This is a full-time, remote position (with travel based on reporting assignments). We offer competitive pay, health insurance, vacation time, and ability to grow as the company does.

The starting salary range for this position is $65,000 - $75,000 and is commensurate with experience and skill set. Some of the benefits employees enjoy are two weeks paid vacation, sick days, and health benefits.

If this sounds like the place and position for you, please send a cover letter, resume, 3-4 links to any on-camera and/or written work you've done, and a list of three references to: info@statuscoup.com and include "Investigative/On-the-ground reporter" in the email subject line. Cover letters that exemplify passion, uniqueness, and a little daringness will be favored.

Status Coup News is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all races, gender identities, sexual orientation and generation as well as people with disabilities.