YES! Media Surdna Reporting Fellowship 2018 for U.S. based Journalists from Underrepresented Communities ($42,000 Salary)

Deadline: May 1, 2018

YES! Media is looking for an experienced journalist from a community of color for a one-year, full-time reporting job. YES! established this fellowship to help build diversity in the journalism industry and, specifically, to expose reporters from communities of color to solutions reporting. YES! values a diversity of voices and perspectives in its reporting on social justice issues.

This fellowship offers the opportunity to work with experienced writers, editors, and designers to bring the YES! perspective to both daily news and in-depth solutions reporting. Areas of coverage for YES! Media can land within any of our major content areas: Civil Liberties, Racial Justice, Environmental Justice, Native Rights, Economic Justice, Democratic Reform, and Wellness and Health Justice.

About

YES! Media is a nonprofit, independent publisher of solutions journalism. Through rigorous reporting on the ways communities are responding to social problems and insightful commentary that sparks constructive discourse, YES! inspires people to build a just and sustainable world. Founded in 1996, it helped drive the modern “solutions journalism” movement, covering the communities, ideas, and initiatives working to build a better world.

YES! is reader-supported, with no paywalls or advertising. It is nonpartisan and governed by a board of directors made up of journalists, thought leaders, and community activists. It publishes stories daily online and quarterly in a print and digital magazine. In 2017, each issue of YES! Magazine reached more than 150,000 readers, and yesmagazine.org averages nearly half a million unique users each month.

Fellowship Details

• The fellow is expected to write one short piece (800-1000 words) per week plus two more substantial pieces (1500-2500) per month
• Salary is $42,000
• Paid sick and vacation
• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• The YES! Media office is located on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Most editorial staff members commute from Seattle three days a week and work remotely the other two. Public transportation to and from the office is paid for by YES!

Eligibility

• You’ve got experience. You’ve worked as a reporter before, have clips that you’re proud of, and are full of ideas for stories.
• You want to take your journalism into the solutions journalism realm. You’re eager to learn how YES! does that.
• You’re an excellent writer with a clear and strong voice. You appreciate good editing.
• You’re curious and creative, always looking for an alternative angle or a marketable hook.
• You’re productive, quick, and independent.
• You have a deep understanding of progressive ideas and social justice solutions.
• You’re optimistic. You believe social movements have transformed societies many times throughout history and you bring that context to the current events you’re covering.
• You come from a community underrepresented by conventional media and are able to use that experience to help us achieve greater depth in our coverage.

Application

Please send a cover letter, resume, three published writing clips, and two professional references. They prefer to receive all materials as a single PDF, sent as an attachment to jobs@yesmagazine.org with “Reporting Fellow” in the subject line.