DOJ Correspondent

This is a Full Time Job

OVERVIEW

Application Instructions
• Application Deadline: Friday, October 2nd at 12pm ET.
• Submission Instructions: Please submit a cover letter in addition to your resume, including related clips you are proud of.

Intro to Position

The Justice Department Correspondent leads NPR’s daily and enterprise coverage of the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement, and federal immigration jurisprudence and prosecutions. Based in Washington, D.C., this reporter is responsible for breaking significant news, cultivating institutional and frontline sources, and delivering analytical enterprise reporting that reveals how DOJ decisions impact governance, the rule of law, and communities across the country.

The Politics & Policy Desk operates across audio, digital, and visual platforms. The correspondent evaluates the optimal narrative format for each story—whether an investigative data analysis, a live two-way on broadcast newsmagazines, an episode of the NPR Politics Podcast, or an explanatory digital feature.

This is a union-represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA.

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff is defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.

Responsibilities

Reporting & Enterprise Journalism
• Pitches, reports, and produces high-impact daily news spots, contextual enterprise pieces, and investigative stories on the Department of Justice, immigration enforcement, and federal legal policy.
• Cultivates and maintains diverse, reliable source networks across government agencies, legal institutions, advocacy organizations, and impacted communities.
• Analyzes complex court filings, regulatory decisions, and legislative proposals to deliver accurate, timely explanatory journalism.

Multiplatform Collaboration & Production
• Delivers live, unscripted reporting and conversational analysis on NPR newsmagazines (Morning Edition, All Things Considered), breaking news specials, podcasts, and member station programming.
• Partners with desk editors, audio producers, and digital editors to package reporting effectively for broadcast, digital text, and multimedia platforms.
• Gathers audio in the field, conducts recorded interviews, and assists in the editorial editing and audio production of pieces under tight deadlines.

Editorial Standards & Administration
• Maintains absolute adherence to the NPR Ethics Handbook, legal standards, and factual accuracy guidelines across all platforms.
• Completes essential administrative duties accurately and punctually, including source documentation, program summaries, assignment coordination, and travel/expense filing.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications
• At least 5 years of professional journalism experience reporting on complex legal, governmental, or regulatory affairs at a national or regional level.
• Demonstrated track record of reporting and writing accurate, contextual enterprise stories and breaking news on deadline.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain professional source networks across institutional, agency, and community settings.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple overlapping stories and shifting deadlines with editorial sound judgment.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively within a fast-moving newsroom team, showing consistent respect for colleagues, diverse perspectives, and public radio member stations.

Preferred Qualifications
• Proven beat-reporting experience covering the U.S. Department of Justice, federal courts, or federal immigration enforcement.
• Experience communicating complex policy, legal, or political topics clearly and conversationally for broadcast, podcast, or live audio formats.
• Established record of enterprise scoops and investigative reporting derived from original document analysis and agency sourcing.
• Experience producing multiplatform content, including digital written features, podcast appearances, and visual/social explainers.

Education Requirements
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Work Location & Requirements
• Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be in the office in Washington, D.C., or at an on-site reporting location at least 3 days a week. The employee must also reside in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia.

Job Type
• This is a full-time, exempt position.

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

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