Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to highlighting climate solutions and uncovering environmental injustices. Since 1999, we have used the power of journalism to engage the public about the perils of the most existential threat we face. Now that three-quarters of Americans recognize that climate change is happening, we’ve shifted our focus to show that a just and sustainable future is within reach. Grist’s Innovation and Growth team supports and supplements work across Grist, ensuring that our storytelling is impactful and reaches a wide audience. 

For over a decade, the Grist Fellowship Program has aimed to provide a formative experience in a geographically distributed yet tight-knit newsroom through dedicated editing and professional development for early-career journalists. We encourage fellows’ full participation in staff discussions and meetings and seek their input on issues large and small. We provide hands-on training for fellows in the fundamentals of climate journalism and work closely with supervisors to create a shared culture of inclusion, communication, and respect. 

Grist is seeking a full-time Data Fellow to join our Editorial team. 

 With the mentorship and support of Grist’s editorial staff, the Data Fellow will be expected to report and write stories informed by datasets and create data visualizations to support both their own and others’ reporting. With an eye toward environmental and climate justice, the fellow will help chronicle the progress being made to tackle the climate crisis, whether it’s coming from communities, scientific laboratories, the halls of Congress, or companies and corporations. 

 While the Grist data fellowship is designed to help aspiring data journalists develop their skills, we believe candidates will benefit most from this opportunity if they are already somewhat familiar with scripting and data visualization languages. If you are excited by this role but unsure whether or not you are qualified, we encourage you to apply regardless and tell us more about your skills in your cover letter.

 This fellowship is a full-time, remote position and will run for 12 months, beginning March 1, 2023 and ending February 29, 2024. Applications without both a resume and cover letter will not be considered.

The annual base salary for this position is $50,000. Grist is based in Seattle, but this job doesn’t have to be. We have staff around the country. This position is represented by Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild Local 37082 (“Grist NewsGuild”).

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify and pitch ideas for stories that identify key issues in climate change and environmental justice — including explainers, data-driven analyses, and quicker news hits/social graphics

• Create static and dynamic data visualizations for integration into Grist’s reporting (including your own) 

• Assist with editorial duties including research, web production, and fact-checking

• Pitch and produce at least one enterprise/feature story in the second half of your fellowship

• Contribute periodically to larger projects and/or investigations as part of a team

• Engage actively in meetings, such as story brainstorms and fellow trainings

The mission of the Grist fellowship program is to help underrepresented, early-career climate journalists gain a stronger foothold in our industry. Our definition of “early-career” includes but is not limited to: journalists who are relatively new to the environmental/climate beat, freelancers who have not had full-time newsroom experience, recent journalism school graduates, scientists without formal journalism training but with strong writing clips and content knowledge, and developing local reporters who are seeking experience with a national news outlet. 

 Other requirements

• Four-year degree, or equivalent professional experience

• Strong understanding of Grist’s brand

• Interest in climate and environmental science and policy

• Demonstrated familiarity with data reporting, data science, and/or applied statistics 

• Familiarity with at least one scripting language, such as R or Python is a plus

• Familiarity with at least one data visualization language, library, or suite, such as D3.js, ggplot2, or Tableau is a plus

• Nice to have: front-end experience (HTML/CSS/JavaScript), web-scraping (BeautifulSoup, Selenium, etc.), version control (git/GitHub), finishing software (e.g. Adobe Illustrator), geographic analysis (QGIS, ArcGIS, etc.), Observable

• Ability to make a full-time, 12-month commitment

• Must be legally authorized to work in the US

• Living in the United States for the duration of the fellowship

• Available during standard work hours in their U.S. time zone

BENEFITS

•  Full health benefits coverage, including medical, vision, and dental for both employee and eligible dependents

• 12 months of solid newsroom experience, a body of clips, and fluency in climate and environmental justice issues

• Company laptop for use during time at Grist

• Access to $600 in educational funds per year related to their professional development

• Networking with other members of the editorial team, including Grist’s in-person all-staff meeting

• Weekly mentorship via our Newsroom Training Series, which covers a range of skills, from filing FOIA requests to audio/video script-writing to battling imposter syndrome

• Meaningful integration into the workings of a busy and exciting nonprofit media organization

• The Data Fellow is a member of Grist’s collective bargaining unit

Applicants must submit each of the following application materials. 

1.  Resume

2. Cover letter. We are looking for a succinct, thoughtful cover letter that explains what you are passionate about when it comes to climate reporting, gives examples of environmental justice-focused story ideas you might want to pursue, and reasons you are a good fit for the Grist fellowship program — and this fellowship in particular.

3. Links to two news writing samples. These can appear within or appended to the end of your cover letter. Writing samples can be newspaper or magazine clips, blog posts, or unpublished pieces. We will gladly accept links to multimedia samples (video, illustration, infographic, podcast, etc.) but cannot review original files. If you have a GitHub account you’d like to show us, please provide a link to your profile. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: PLEASE READ

Cover letters must be uploaded as a separate attachment via Smart Recruiter. Please include “Data Fellow” in the document title. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please submit applications by 11:59 PT on Monday, December 19, 2022. 

No phone calls, please.

Cultivating an inclusive staff is central to Grist’s focus on advancing equity. We’re interested in hearing from people who can work with diverse colleagues of varied experience. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.