We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
The Marshall Project is looking for a reporter to cover law enforcement and policing for a national audience. We require significant subject-matter expertise and an investigative bent. We are seeking someone with deep experience in building sources within police departments, someone comfortable talking to cops and their critics -- and who is considered fair by both groups. The successful candidate will be adept with data and public-records requests, able to build thoughtful pieces off of breaking news while focusing on deep dives.
To succeed in this job, you must be able to write clearly, translate jargon, and use narrative and other techniques to make readers care. You should identify local stories that have national resonance, and find granular examples that illustrate major trends. We seek to hold the powerful accountable, but also to delineate systemic problems. We value impact, as well as surprise, colorful writing and counter-intuitive analysis.
Collaboration is part of our DNA; all our reporters must work well with colleagues as well as with journalists at our partner publications.
We do not expect every candidate to be equally skilled in all these areas, and this is not a complete list of all relevant qualifications applicants might bring to the job. Please tell us about your other assets not mentioned here that may be valuable to this role. Reaching talent across a range of backgrounds and experiences is deeply important to us.
Our minimum threshold is five years of reporting focused on law enforcement. Please do not submit more than five clips, and ensure that they are accessible to our editors (i.e., send pdfs if your work is behind a paywall).
Our headquarters is in New York City, but we will consider remote candidates who live in the United States.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This job is full-time, with a competitive salary and benefits including employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance; 17 days of paid time off each year, plus a week off at the end of December; paid family leave; and 401(k) matching.
Who We Are
The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering America’s criminal justice system. In 2016, The Marshall Project was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism and was a Pulitzer finalist for investigative reporting. We are not advocates—we follow the facts and we do not pander to any audience—but we have a declared mission: to create and sustain a sense of urgency about the criminal justice system. We do not generally cover breaking news (although we curate the reporting of other news outlets in our morning newsletter). Our work includes investigative and explanatory projects and shorter pieces aimed at highlighting stories that other news organizations miss, underestimate or misunderstand. To assure our work reaches a larger audience we partner or co-publish with other media outlets on almost all of our work; we have partnered with more than 100 newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and online sites.
We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, ethnicities, physical abilities, genders and sexual orientations, including people who have been incarcerated or otherwise involved with the criminal justice system.
To apply, use this form to submit a resume, cover letter, no more than five clips and references. The deadline to submit an application is 11:59 pm Eastern on June 28.
Due to the expected volume of applications, we will follow up with the most promising candidates but cannot respond individually to all applicants. Please know it usually takes us more than a month to review applications.