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Political Reporter

TPM Media LLC · USA ·

Pay:
$70,000-$90,000/yr
Job type:
Full Time

Talking Points Memo, the respected pioneer of online political news, is expanding its reporting team.

TPM is looking to fill a position for a political reporter who will cover all aspects of the current political moment, with a particular focus on voting, election administration and political extremism, as well as broader issues that relate to the health of American democracy. 

The ideal candidate will be a reporter with newsroom experience who has a firm grasp on American history and, in particular, the forces and people that have shaped our politics over the last quarter decade. They will be a precise thinker with impeccable attention to detail and the ability to write quickly and concisely. They will be knowledgeable about American law and government, eager to uncover news wherever it might be, and comfortable establishing a rapport with sources from all backgrounds and all walks of life. They can see both the forest and the trees. Experience parsing and writing news based on legal documents will be a plus. 

The reporter in question must know how to frame their reporting so that it finds an audience, and get it in front of that audience. Demonstrated comfort across written word, audio, video and social media, and experience distributing their work through each channel, will be a plus.

This position is in New York City or Washington, D.C.

The salary for this position is $70,000–$90,000 annually. Benefits include health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), three weeks paid vacation per year, and eligibility for additional time off, including a sabbatical.

This is a position covered under the Writers Guild of America East Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to jobs@talkingpointsmemo.com (include the subject line: “Job App: Political Reporter”). 

Candidates may be asked to take a writing test.

Founded during the 2000 Florida recount by Josh Marshall, TPM brings a scrappy, smart, and sophisticated approach to covering American politics. It has long had an outsized influence on national political coverage and public discourse. With a membership-based business model, TPM has enjoyed financial stability, resilience, and growth despite the turmoil in journalism and publishing.


About TPM Media LLC

Talking Points Memo (TPM) is an independent news organization that publishes reporting and analysis about American politics, public policy and political culture.

We are particularly focused on reporting on abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust. Our reporters have exposed scandals and driven coverage of major news stories across multiple administrations. TPM was the first web-native news organization to win the George Polk award for Journalism, for coverage of the 2007 U.S. Attorneys Firing Scandal. Our coverage of President Bush’s drive to privatize Social Security won numerous awards. TPM was one of the first news outlets to examine then-candidate Trump’s ties to Russia and later led reporting on his pressure campaign in Ukraine. When former U.S. Rep. Todd Akin opined about abortion in cases of legitimate rape,” TPM was the outlet to make it news.

We also devote extensive resources to critical policy stories, like the decade-long GOP effort to repeal Obamacare, voter suppression, and the more recent push to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

We keep close tabs on the political fringe — militias, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists and more — because we believe they are greater drivers of American politics than mainstream news coverage allows.

Headquartered in New York City with a bureau in Washington D.C., TPM was founded in 2000 by Josh Marshall.

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