Reporter

Description:

Communities in coastal Marin County, California face a multitude of challenges and competing interests: conservation and development, agriculture in the time of climate change, rising seas and fragile infrastructure, housing scarcity, wealth disparity, and the management of ranching and wildlife in the Point Reyes National Seashore. We have an immediate opening for an experienced reporter interested in our place-based reporting on these issues. 

Your stories may address:

• Conflicts between free-ranging elk and ranching in the Point Reyes National Seashore 

• The departure of historic dairies and ranches 

• Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and management of fisheries and sanctuaries

• The California Coastal Commission's regulation of the coastal zone

• Affordable housing development and its obstacles 

• Wildfire prevention efforts and planning on the coast 

• Water security and wastewater infrastructure in coastal villages

• Tourism impacts 

And much more. This is a job for someone seeking to make an impact on civic engagement through local reporting. It's a place for a reporter with at least a few years of professional newsroom experience who wants to produce meaningful, in-depth and compassionate coverage of issues in coastal Marin: an affluent but diverse stretch of villages, agricultural land and protected parklands north of the Golden Gate. 

We are a tight-knit owner-operated team dedicated to providing high-quality coverage for our growing local and national readership. Reporters must be focused but versatile, willing to tackle a wide range of stories and participate in weekly proofreading and paper deliveries. This is a high-volume, high-expectation, writing-intensive job requiring reliable productivity. Expect to attend meetings, familiarize with several beats, and write an average of 3,000 words a week, a mix of hard news and features, short form and longer form. A sense of humor and flexibility are a must; backgrounds in science, government and investigative reporting are useful. Salary will be based on experience. 

About the Point Reyes Light: We are a weekly print newspaper that has served coastal Marin County since 1948. We are a family-owned and family-operated business dedicated to community resilience. The Light gained prominence with its 1979 Pulitzer Prize for public service awarded for its investigation of the Synanon cult, and it continues to engage readers from all over the country with its well-crafted reporting and dedication to place. 

Please send a cover letter, at least five writing samples, a resume and references to Editor/Co-Publisher Tess Elliott at editor@ptreyeslight.com.