Criminal Justice Reporter

Full Time Job
Criminal Justice Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle seeks a resourceful, intellectually curious writer to cover criminal justice issues in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most dynamic and diverse regions in the country. The reporter will join our Race & Equity team, which focuses on how institutional and cultural systems intersect with historical and modern inequities. Other members of the team are specialists in covering the economy, housing homelessness, immigration, income inequality, poverty and racial justice. In this time of racial reckoning and examination, this position offers an enterprising reporter room to help us examine all aspects of criminal justice and redefine what coverage by a major regional newspaper should be. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced journalist to join an ambitious newsroom to delve behind official statements, uncovering scoops, staying ahead of the daily news and developing deeply reported stories on policy, law enforcement, court systems and incarceration. If you want to challenge the traditional model of criminal justice reporting, we want to hear from you.

Duties will include:
• Covering breaking news, on or off the beat, as needed.
• Producing mid- and long-term enterprise for a variety of platforms that explores criminal justice issues with authority, depth and precision.
• Developing a wide range of sources within our communities and in the criminal justice system to uncover stories that inform our audiences while holding power to account.
• Filing and tracking public records requests that lead to substantive stories on criminal justice issues.
• Experimenting with new reporting, storytelling and engagement techniques. • Serving as an authoritative newsroom voice and resource on criminal justice reform and related issues.

What it will take to be successful:
• At least 5 years of experience at a daily newspaper, magazine or digital native news organization or the equivalent.
• Experience covering criminal justice, or proximate issues.
• Strong judgment, excellent journalistic ethics, instincts and attention to detail. • Ability to write compelling copy, while moving easily from breaking news to analysis to long-form storytelling.
• Skill at finding and using data to reinforce reporting.
• Willingness to experiment with approaches to sourcing ideas, interacting with our communities and storytelling.
• Willingness to collaborate with other newsroom colleagues and teams, including visuals, data and design, while working in a dynamic news environment. • This position requires that the reporter be located in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it does not require reporting to the office every day. We want an enterprising reporter who will be, as time and the pandemic permits, out in the community developing sources, following up on leads, and discovering the untold stories that should be brought to light.