Data Reporter Job at The Baltimore Banner in Baltimore

Overview

The Baltimore Banner is a Pulitzer award winning, nonprofit newsroom founded to bring high-quality local journalism to the Baltimore metro area as well as Montgomery County.

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.

The Baltimore Banner is looking for an experienced Data Reporter to join its award-winning data team.

We are looking for an innovative thinker and willing collaborator who can analyze and interpret data to uncover stories and use them in charts and interactive features.

The ideal candidate will also be open to experimenting with new technologies and trends.

You will work with other reporters to develop and bring to life the most important stories and data products our newsroom produces.

You’ll be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with sources and fellow reporters.

We are seeking a reporter with a passion for their work and a clear vision for what they hope to accomplish.

We want someone with a diverse set of skills and interests, as the data team covers a wide range of topics from sports to public health.

Journalism experience is a big plus but not a requirement.

You won’t be expected to know everything, but we’re looking for someone who is excited to learn and brings their enthusiasm for the work to their collaborators.

What You’ll Do:

• Pitch and report data-driven stories that are relentlessly interesting and hold officials and institutions to account
• Collaborate with newsroom reporters and other data journalists to elevate our ongoing coverage with data reporting and data visualizations
• Become an expert on the databases you analyze and be prepared to use that expertise to cover breaking and enterprise news
• Acquire data through multiple means, including public records requests, scraping and assembling it independently
• Checking your and, sometimes, colleague’s work and ensuring robust, accurate analysis
• Spot trending stories and use data to prove and write about topics most on people’s minds
• Conduct quick data analysis for breaking news stories

What You Bring:

• A proven track record of reporting data-driven stories that reveal meaningful insights and hold officials and institutions accountable through rigorous investigative work
• Ability to analyze large data sets, including geospatial data, using programming languages like Python and R
• Ability to do traditional reporting and write stories and create supporting data visualizations that enhance storytelling using tools like Datawrapper and ai2html
• Detail-oriented, inquisitive nature, and devoted to learning and development
• Enthusiastic collaborator, especially with non-technical partners
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• A commitment to upholding journalistic values and ethics
• Ability to work some nights and weekends or later hours when news breaks
• A sense of urgency and ability to act quickly on breaking news stories

Salary Range: $80,000 - $90,000

Additional Information:

• Clips of your work: Please submit clips of your work relative to this role.
• Schedule: This position follows a hybrid work schedule and may require evening work.
  
  Some schedule flexibility may be needed based on news demands.
• Location: This role is based in Baltimore, MD.

Our amazing benefits include:

• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Retirement savings - 401K plan offered through Human Interest, with a company match
• Student Loan Debt Repayment Assistance for qualified employees
• Full health benefits - medical, dental, vision, prescription, FSA/HSA, and coverage for family/dependents
• Sick Leave eligible for rollover
• 11 Paid National Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Company paid access to a wellness platform to support mental, financial and physical wellbeing

Apply for this job

Please include a cover letter and résumé.

In your cover letter, please highlight three different types of stories or data projects you have worked on along with a brief description of your role.

Our Core Values:

• 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.

Public-facing information and demographic questions have been included for compliance purposes.