The L.A. Local News Initiative is looking for a social media reporter to cover the Koreatown, Pico Union and Westlake areas, serving the neighborhoods with high-quality, social-first news that connects neighbors, celebrates local people and culture, and holds local government accountable to better outcomes for residents.

We are seeking a tenacious and experienced reporter who is an avid user of social media and is passionate about engaging people in online communities. You would be a vitally important voice on a team dedicated to the three neighborhoods, and committed to strengthening the community by providing daily, public service journalism in formats that resonate with our core audiences in the three neighborhoods. 

You’ll collaborate with other reporters, editors, multimedia directors and our head of audience & membership in determining our strategy for social media for our coverage areas, including analysis of which social media platforms are most important in reaching people in our communities. You’ll develop ongoing, engaging series for social media that feature diverse voices from the communities we serve to build trust, produce reported content in real time as news breaks, and source and vet user-generated content when it makes sense. You’ll have your finger on the pulse of what people in our communities are talking about, and the storytelling formats they like; you’ll be our first direct touchpoint with community members who engage with us on social media platforms; you’ll keep track of who the local influencers are; and you’ll identify ways in which our newsroom can provide value and build connections through our work.

Inspired by our publication Boyle Heights Beat, which produces trusted community news for the Eastside, our ethos is news and information “for and by the community,” so community engagement will be core to your work. You will work with a local editor to set local reporting agendas, identify key themes and areas that need further investigation, and collaborate with other reporters, editors, and producers in the newsroom package your reporting in formats that are best received by residents of your coverage area. In addition, you will work with a community engagement team to host and facilitate local community events, develop relevant local stories out of our L.A. Documenters program, which trains and pays residents to cover public meetings, and work with local students enrolled in our high school journalism program.

If you thrive in a creative, fast-paced, mission-driven environment, we want to hear from you!

The Los Angeles Local News Initiative is a nonprofit startup dedicated to revitalizing local journalism in Los Angeles. We're building a new model for community-focused news that connects neighborhood-level reporting with broader regional issues. Our approach combines dedicated community newsrooms with a central hub that amplifies local stories, identifies cross-community trends, and produces region-wide coverage that matters to all Angelenos.

• Free, Independent Local Press: We believe all Angelenos deserve to have a source of unbiased information that equips them to thrive in their daily lives. Our work will meet high journalism standards, be independent, non-partisan, and free to access. We’ll prioritize reaching as many Angelenos as possible, in the most effective ways possible.
• Community-first: We center the needs of local communities, with an ultimate goal to strengthen communities and make LA work better for Angelenos. Journalism should be focused on serving people most affected by the subject matter, and equipping them to take action.
• Equity & Inclusion: We need a representative, equitable, and inclusive local press. Newsrooms should be representative of the communities they cover, shift narratives to be centered on community perspectives, and provide pathways into news gathering for residents.‍
• Trust: We believe that building trust must be a core principle of our journalism. As a baseline, the journalism we support must be accurate, independent, unbiased, non-partisan, and a trusted source of shared facts by the communities we serve.

Reporting and Content Creation

• Report and produce several social-first stories per week, including breaking news, in-depth features, guides and explainers, and any other formats that resonate with our communities
• Write article versions of your reporting for the website or contribute to newsletters as needed
• Attend and report on local government meetings and other community gatherings
• Contribute to and maintain editorial planning calendars
• Cultivate sources throughout the wider community
• Build relationships with local influencers we can ethically partner with to ensure as many residents as possible have access to our reporting
• Serve as an accessible, leading source of information for Ktown, Pico Union and Westlake residents
• Develop content with authority, speed, clarity, and accuracy
• Uphold high fact checking standards across our various formats, including features, news stories, and analysis pieces
• Demonstrate excellent time-management skills and journalistic rigor when meeting tight deadlines
• Collaborate with the community engagement and audience teams to find creative ways to reach and serve as many parts of the community as possible, including through live events and other in-person engagements, text services, and email newsletters
• Collaborate with the editorial team to help shape the overall content strategy and tone in pursuit of public service and audience growth during this time of significant expansion for our publication
• Help uphold ethical journalism standards and ensure all content adheres to the publication's guidelines
• Represent the L.A. Local News Initiative at community and industry events, panels, and public speaking opportunities as needed

• Collaborate with high school reporters and provide guidance as needed
• Act as a resource for other team members, fostering a collaborative and supportive newsroom environment while modeling source development, source management, story pitching, and time management

Required Qualifications

• Strong social media content judgment and knowledge of trends; familiarity with social media platforms and experience using them as tools to both monitor news and develop sources, and to actively engage with communities
• A track record of producing high-quality journalism, ideally in a daily local newsroom environment
• Experience producing community-oriented journalism in multiple story formats that respond to different audiences
• Exceptional writing and multimedia storytelling skills
• A love and passion for being out in the community interacting with people; curiosity to understand people from all backgrounds and perspectives
• A commitment to ethical, accurate, and inclusive local reporting: You know how to build and maintain relationships with sources, are a thorough researcher and fact-checker, and a sharp interviewer
• Ability to pitch compelling, relevant, and achievable story ideas that align with our mission, both verbally and in writing
• Knowledge of AP style
• Ability to work under tight deadlines while managing multiple projects
• The ability to synthesize and present complex information in a highly accessible, engaging, and clear manner for a wide range of audiences

Preferred Qualifications

• Personal connection to Koreatown, Pico Union or Westlake
• Fluency in Spanish
• Familiarity with digital content management and audience analytics tools
• Experience shooting with a phone or small camera and editing video
• Understanding of SEO (search engine optimization) principles and social media platforms
• Demonstrated experience in any of the following: 
  
  • Community engagement
  • Data-driven reporting
  • Multimedia storytelling
• Experience with WordPress or other content management systems

The annual salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, ranging from $70,000 to $85,000. Salaries reflect our compensation philosophy of market competitiveness and pay equity. All candidates receive a first and best offer in line with our market, recognizing their education, training, years of experience, and level of expertise.

We are committed to providing employees with a comprehensive benefits package that ensures staff have access to quality and affordable healthcare, can save for the future, and can find time to recharge.

The following benefits are provided to all full-time staff. We consider full-time to be 35 or more hours per week.

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance: We cover 100% of the premium associated with individual health, dental, and vision plans (employee only) and 50% of the premium for dependents.
• Paid Time Off: 15 days of paid time off (PTO) per year for vacation and personal time, which will accrue throughout the year.
• Paid Holidays: 12 paid holidays per year (New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day,  resident’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day).
• 401(k) Match:  We provide eligible employees with traditional and Roth 401(k) plans. We will match up to the first 4% contributed to the plan by an employee. All employee contributions and employer matching funds are immediately vested.
• FSA & HSA:  We provide Flexible Spending Accounts (for eligible commuter transportation, medical, and child care expenses) and Health Savings Accounts, and we will cover the administrative management fees on these offerings.
• Cellphone and wifi reimbursement:  We will provide $50 each month to help cover the costs of cellphone and wifi usage.
• Disability and Life Insurance:  We cover short-term pre-disability earnings up to $1,500 per week and long-term disability up to $5,000 per month. We will also offer basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance at 1x the employee’s salary, up to $100,000. 
• One Medical:  Employees and their dependents get free membership to the national leader in technology-enabled, on-demand primary care.
• Teladoc: Employees receive access to 24/7/365 quality medical care via video, phone, or mobile app.
• ‍Health Advocate: Employees have an advocate in their health care from negotiating down medical bills, to speaking with a trained counsel for mental health support, to much more.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Indigenous people, veterans, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. The Los Angeles Local News Initiative is dedicated to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. We encourage people of all races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to apply.