Job Details

Climate, Environment & Water Reporter

You will join the Santa Barbara News-Press as a dedicated beat reporter, covering topics of environment, climate and water across Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast. Your reporting will focus on explanatory and accountability journalism, presenting complex topics in a straightforward, accessible style for multimedia audiences.

At the Santa Barbara News-Press, you'll be part of a growing start-up newsroom rebuilding local journalism with urgency, credibility and relevance. You'll cover a wide range of stories across Santa Barbara County contributing original reporting that helps readers understand what's happening — and why it matters.

This is a role for an experienced journalist with expertise in topics of environment, climate, water policy and related subject areas. You should be comfortable covering issues as diverse as land use, coastal conservation, ecosystem health, agriculture, energy infrastructure, natural disaster, public health, environmental justice and community resiliency. To do this, you must have strong source development across relevant local organizations, industries and government entities, and be able to report on issues in a fact-based manner. You should have familiarity with government information request processes.

In this role you will pursue breaking news, enterprise reporting, narrative features, data journalism, investigations and shoot short-form vertical video for social-first stories. You'll spend a significant portion of your time out in the community, on the street and in the field, talking to people.

The pay scale for this position ranges from $28.00 - $34.00/hour.

What You'll Own

You will anchor a dedicated Climate, Environment & Water (CEW) reporting beat for the News-Press, contributing strong original reporting across media formats, including:

• Daily and weekly beat stories
• Community profiles, breaking news and developing stories
• Features, data journalism, and investigations

What You'll Do

Report and Write

• Develop and report original stories through on-the-ground reporting
• Write clear, accurate, well-structured stories on deadline
• File breaking news quickly while maintaining accuracy and fairness
• Follow stories beyond the news cycle for in-depth "day two" coverage
• Develop long-form, investigative and explanatory features

Work Across Formats

• Contribute through written text and photos
• Shoot short-form video for publishing across multiple platforms
• Work with editors and colleagues to adapt reporting for different platforms
• Present at periodic in-person News-Press events focusing on environmental topics

Collaborate in a Modern Newsroom

• Work closely with editors, fellow reporters and visual journalists
• Participate in story meetings and contribute ideas
• Be open to feedback and committed to continuous improvement
• Occasionally cover general assignment stories or breaking news as needed

Relevant qualifications

• A degree in journalism or college-level journalism coursework
• A minimum of three years of professional reporting experience in an environmental or related beat.
• Excellent reporting and writing skills
• Proficiency in understanding, analyzing, and presenting data in an understandable way.
• Experience and comfort publishing stories in short-form vertical video format

Preferred Skills and Abilities

• A minimum of five years professional reporting experience and/or academic background in environmental topics.
• Familiarity with digital publishing workflows
• Spanish language speaking and writing skills
• Preference for someone living in the Santa Barbara area

Why This Role Matters

You will be a core member of a growing team working to transform the 158-year-old Santa Barbara News-Press into an innovative digital-first local news outlet. This role exists to provide strong foundational reporting on the most important news of Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast via timely, fact-based storytelling that resonates with our local community. You are here to build the news and information infrastructure for a people and a place.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with matching employer contribution
• 22 days of vacation time
• 11 holidays, including your birthday
• Parental leave
• Significant tuition reductions
• Professional development is highly valued at ASU Enterprise Partners, where employees are encouraged to look across the organization and nurture new areas of interest
• $30 bi-weekly cell phone reimbursement

How to Apply

Please include:

• A written resume
• Clips or links to recent written reporting (ideally five to eight pieces that together showcase your editorial range across different types of articles, ex. daily news, longform, profile, analysis, etc.)
• Clips or links to any video or audio news stories you have produced or been a part of producing
• A note on your journalistic background, professional aspirations in this role, interest in covering the greater Santa Barbara community and why the News-Press would be a good fit (max. 1 written page)

Please assemble these materials into a single document and upload them in PDF format.

This position is fully in-person, excepting that your reporting responsibilities will require you to travel throughout the county and may mean you are not in the office every day. Reporters must have a valid driver's license and access to a vehicle in good working condition, with suitable auto insurance coverage. Occasional night and weekend work is required.

NEWSWELL is an Equal Opportunity Employer