Democracy Insider

This is not your traditional politics beat writer position. This position is not focused on covering the day-to-day operations of government.

This reporter is expected to be, first and foremost, of service to our local readers in the Kansas City area. We expect this reporter to bring their own energy and expertise to covering, in new ways, how communities and individual members of the public are affected by politics and government.

Accountability journalism that holds truth to power

The Star has a responsibility and a mandate from our readers to produce journalism that holds power to account. This reporter should approach political reporting with an accountability lens that details wrongdoing and abuses of power and explains the impact of those actions on our local readers.

The ideal candidate will do this through engaging, expert journalism that produces and provides regular news breaks and insider stories of regional and national importance in an extremely competitive setting.

Examples of this work include:

• Relentless coverage of gerrymandering attempts that explain why it is happening and what it will mean for our local communities. 
• Explanatory coverage of attacks on Missouri’s initiative petition process and the repeated overturning of voter-approved laws.
• Identifying stories that illustrate and explain the continued fight for power between Kansas City and the state.
• Investigating potential wrongdoing by powerful people and entities and explaining how it harms Kansas Citians.

This reporter must feel comfortable growing and maintaining an expansive network of sources locally in Kansas City and with state and federal politicians and organizations.

The ideal candidate will bring a willingness to experiment with AI tools that assist with parsing complex and cumbersome datasets and to look for opportunities to leverage technology to assist in producing more engaging, clear reporting that informs our readers.

Cultivating civic engagement 

This reporter will lead The Star’s efforts to transform our approach to political coverage into a destination where our local readers can gain a better understanding of how politics affect their lives and how they can take action.

This reporter should be excited to meet readers where they are and be willing to solicit reader feedback regularly. We hope that this reporter will be a “tour guide” of sorts, who is a trusted person in the know for our local readers.

Examples of this work include:

• Using callouts and other engagement tools to hear directly from readers about what they’d like to see covered next. 
• Engaging with members of The Star’s subscriber base in virtual and live events.
• Writing a regular newsletter to readers as a means of increasing connectivity with existing and new audiences, promoting the latest examples of special work produced by The Star’s journalists
• Appearing in and shooting some video to be used across The Star’s social media accounts

This reporter will be expected to be a personality that our readers know. You will be helping build The Star’s reputation as the go-to expert for politics in the Kansas City area. Your reporting must be clear-eyed and focused on local residents to ensure that The Star’s coverage remains essential to our community.

We will challenge this reporter to expand their reporting to include covering local individuals who want to be more engaged in politics. This reporter should be comfortable embedding in these communities and report thought-provoking stories about how community members are trying to get more involved.

Journalism built upon democracy

Democracy is at stake in the United States and Kansas City is on the front lines. This reporter is expected to think of democracy as the nutgraf for every accountability-based story, Tik Tok and civic engagement opportunity they produce for The Star.

Our coverage of issues challenging democracy and civic life in Kansas City is regularly cited by subscribers as why they financially support The Star. You will be expected to champion our continued and relentless coverage and listen for what readers need most.

We expect this reporter to continue to bring clarity about these issues and more affecting our region. You must be enthusiastic about engaging with the public and explaining why government actions matter to them and their lives.

We are looking for candidates with strong interpersonal skills who can collaborate with editors, reporters, other staff members and, of course, our readers. The ideal candidate will work closely with editors and our audience development team to make sure we are reaching readers who have shown a thirst for this coverage.

All Mc Clatchy Media journalists are expected to take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage artificial intelligence and other automation to enhance and elevate their work and to find efficiencies that free them to focus on source building and high-quality, deeply reported journalism.

What you'll bring:

Must have:

• Strong writing skills and excellent news judgment.
• Deep knowledge of politics and government, and how they connect to Kansas City in particular.
• An unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism.
• An understanding of public records laws and how to use them.
• Willingness to collaborate frequently as part of a team. 
• Initiative to develop a strong network of sources to find and pursue stories that will reach a broad audience.
• An interest in telling stories using a variety of media and engagement tools, and an enthusiasm for learning new skills and technologies.

Nice to have:

• Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of metrics/analytics and an understanding of SEO and other audience optimization tactics.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism.
• Ability to work comfortably and nimbly in a job that will be fast-paced and data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation and always evolving.
• Bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) from an accredited college or university preferred; ideally in journalism, or the equivalent education, experience, skills and knowledge needed to perform the tasks and responsibilities of the position. 
• A track record for innovation, learning and using new skills and technologies, especially AI.
• At least two years related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

What we'll bring:

As a journalist at Mc Clatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. Mc Clatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include health care coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with a focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, Mc Clatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on Mc Clatchy's benefit plan, please visit Mc Clatchy Livewell.com.

About the Mc Clatchy Media Company

The Mc Clatchy Media Company features a portfolio of vibrant and trusted news, lifestyle, entertainment brands and a robust retail distribution network. Our iconic local news brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Sacramento Bee, have collectively earned a total of 57 Pulitzer prizes and are complemented by popular lifestyle and entertainment brands such as Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Together, our brands reach more than 100 million unique visitors a month,The Mc Clatchy Retail Network, our distribution and logistics arm, offers delivery to more than 56,000 retail locations weekly.

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Salary/Compensation: $63,000 - $74,000 per year

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