We’re Hiring: Cover the Livable Streets Beat for Streetsblog NYC

We’re looking for a talented journalist to help Streetsblog NYC cover sustainable transportation and livable streets in the five boroughs and beyond.

We welcome applications from engaging writers, reporters, and advocates who share our vision of Streetsblog as a respected, influential source of information and commentary on transportation and urban planning issues.

Responsibilities

Streetsblog combines a distinct advocacy bent with newspaper-quality journalism. Toward that end, we are seeking a reporter to craft original content, interviews, event coverage and engaging commentary. Applicants should be enthusiastic about the notion that journalism can be conducted with integrity and fidelity to the truth while espousing a clear point of view. Knowing how to effectively impart a message without overwhelming your writing is a critical skill for this position.

A day’s work at Streetsblog NYC can take you from SoHo to the South Bronx, or from a lively street party in a newly-reclaimed public space to an overheated community board meeting. You’ll cover bike lanes, pedestrian plazas, and the tabloid media’s often-unhinged response to both. You’ll write about transit-oriented development, giant parking lots, and the nitty gritty of zoning codes and budget documents. You’ll watchdog the NYPD’s response to traffic crashes and Albany’s (mis)handling of MTA funding. And you’ll meet the activists who work on all these issues and fight to make New York City more livable, sustainable, equitable, and safe.

The ideal candidate will have the background knowledge and analytical skills to accurately process information and make sense of it for a mass audience in a timely manner. A passion for livable cities and a firm grasp of local politics are also essential.

The reporter will:

• Create a daily stream of original news and content
• Track ongoing stories, such as pieces of legislation or specific street redesigns
• Research and write larger enterprise pieces about developments in transportation and urban planning policy happening around the city and elsewhere in the tri-state area
• Conduct interviews and cultivate sources among public officials, advocates, policy experts, and engaged citizens
• Produce commentary that holds officials to account for their decisions, and corrects errors and misperceptions that surface in the media
• Pinpoint opportunities for transportation improvements and reforms, and explain what has to change to enact them
• Mix in short posts and photo-based content

Qualifications

• Passion for and knowledge of progressive urban planning, transportation, and land use topics
• Excellent writing and research skills, as evidenced by clips
• Previous reporting experience, ideally covering transportation or planning issues, is preferable
• Experience with Word Press or other blogging/content production platforms a plus

To Apply

Send a resume, cover letter, and relevant clips/links to Ben Fried: ben@streetsblog.org.

Streetsblog is produced by OpenPlans, a New York City-based non-profit that improves cities using journalism and open-source software. The New York City reporter position is full-time, and will report to the editor-in-chief in New York.