Mississippi Today brand banner

Courts and Justice Reporter

Mississippi TodayJackson, United StatesPosted 1h agoonsite
via JournalismJobs

Mississippi Today, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom focused on investigative and accountability journalism, is expanding its reporting on the state judicial system. 

Mississippi Today is launching a dedicated Courts and Justice Reporter position to develop in-depth coverage of legal systems. This role focuses on examining how court decisions and legal structures impact communities, with an emphasis on collaboration across the newsroom, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, politics and government. The reporter will cover state and federal courts, examining how the court systems serve – and sometimes do not serve – people in Mississippi.

This role requires the reporter to conduct in-depth interviews, file for public records, undertake research and analyze the data required to tell impactful stories from an accountability lens, and to stay with the story. The reporter will participate in coverage of justice issues during legislative sessions.

The reporter will work with the team to develop both quick-turn daily stories and long-term narrative, analytical and feature stories. 

Roles and Responsibilities: 

If you’re a reporter with any of the following experience or attributes, this position may be for you.

  • Advanced reporting experience focused on uncovering systemic issues within the judicial system and other institutions. 

  • Commitment to the mission of balanced, impactful journalism that centers and respects the voice of the community.

  • Ability to connect with people who have diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

  • Collaborative mindset and ability to work within a team-oriented newsroom


Expectations:

  • Work with a team of journalists who are focused on government, courts and the impact of legislation on both. 

  • Find willing sources and protect them while telling sensitive and timely stories.

  • Build trust: Many people who have been impacted by inequities in Mississippi have been victims of predatory practices and forces. This will require empathy, patience and savvy.

  • Work with our Audience Team and data and visual journalists to create compelling story presentations.


Qualified candidates should have:

  • Experience working as a reporter in a newsroom, preferably at least four years, with some experience in accountability journalism.

  • Proficiency in public records requests.

  • Proficiency in backgrounding people, conducting sensitive interviews, and maintaining ethical standards. 

  • Proficiency with PACER and databases and the ability to use OSINT tools.

  • Experience writing both shortform and longform stories.

  • Ability to work quickly, with accuracy and good news judgment under tight deadlines. 

  • Ability to work in multimedia journalism.

  • Ability to use social media for research and to engage readers.


What you’ll get:

  • The opportunity to work alongside award-winning journalists and make significant contributions to Mississippi’s top nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news and information source.

  • Salary begins at $60,000 and is commensurate with experience.

  • Use of appropriate technology and equipment. 

  • 29 days of paid time off per year.

  • Up to 12 weeks of parental family leave, with return-to-work flexibility.

  • Simple IRA with 3 percent company matching. Group-term life insurance provided to employees ($15,000 policy).

  • Support for professional training and attending industry conferences.


How to Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled.

Similar roles

  • Rubrik Job Board logo

    Senior Director, IT Product Management — GTM & Customer Experience

    Rubrik Job Board·Palo Alto, United States

    ABOUT THE ROLE: We are seeking a visionary, product leader to own the AI-driven transformation of the platforms powering Rubrik's Go-To-Market (GTM) and Customer Experience (CX) capabilities. This is a hands-on leadership role — architect and player-coach, accountable for the end-to-end product vision, agentic system design, and delivery of intelligent experiences across the revenue lifecycle, from prospect to quote to…

    • Full-time
  • Openai logo

    Integrated Marketing Manager, Developers

    Openai·San Francisco, United States

    About the Team The Integrated Marketing team sits at the center of product, brand, creative, media, research, and GTM work. We partner closely with PMM, Product, Developer Relations, Design, Comms, and agency teams to shape launches and campaigns that are clear, distinctive, and grounded in real audience insight. This is a growing function, so the team needs people who can…

    • Hybrid
    • Full-time
  • Openai logo

    Software Engineer, Model Runtime

    Openai·San Francisco, United States

    About the Team OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops AI-native silicon and system-level solutions for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. Building on efforts like Jalapeño, the team is developing future generations of AI-native silicon and tightly integrated systems to power the next generation of frontier models. By co-designing chips, systems, tools, and methodologies, the team helps deliver faster, more efficient,…

    • Hybrid
    • Full-time
  • Deep South Today logo

    Audience and Partnerships Editor – Deep South Today Investigative Center

    Deep South Today·Worldwide

    Reports to: Director, Audience Engagement Location: Flexible within the Deep South, preferably Louisiana or Mississippi Overview Deep South Today — the nonprofit newsroom network that includes Mississippi Today in Jackson, Verite News in New Orleans, and The Current in Lafayette — launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with The New York Times to expand investigative journalism across the Deep South. The Deep…

    • Remote
    • Full-time
  • Stripe logo

    Technical Account Manager, Billing

    Stripe·San Francisco, United States

    WHO WE ARE ABOUT STRIPE Stripe is a financial infrastructure platform for businesses. Millions of companies - from the world’s largest enterprises to the most ambitious startups - use Stripe to accept payments, grow their revenue, and accelerate new business opportunities. Our mission is to increase the GDP of the internet, and we have a staggering amount of work ahead.…

    • Full-time
  • Notion logo

    Software Engineer, Developer Platform

    Notion·San Francisco, United States

    WHO WE ARE Notion is the collaborative AI workspace where teams and agents think together https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkpYpWfEK5s. We're building one place where your knowledge, projects, meetings, and AI tools live side by side, so work is faster, clearer, and less fragmented. Millions of individuals, small teams, and large companies run their work on Notion. Notinos (our employees) are customer zero in…

    • Hybrid
    • Full-time
  • Airbnb logo

    Complex Claims Manager

    Airbnb·United States

    Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a…

    • Remote
    • Full-time
  • Primal Storm logo

    Retention & Lifecycle Marketer (Email, SMS & Subscriptions)

    Primal Storm·Dublin, Ireland

    Remote · Full-time contractor · $3,000–$5,000 gross/month, depending on experience Hey, I'm Yente, co-founder of Primal Storm - primal-storm.com In 9 months, we went from a $1,000 CPA and zero customers to $1M+/month in revenue. Now we're scaling to $5M/month by December. We’re looking for a Retention & Lifecycle Marketer to take full ownership of our email, SMS, and subscription…

    • Remote
    • Contract
    • Critical Skills9mo tied, then free; Stamp 4 @21mo