Jobs at Civil Beat

Join us and help make a difference in Hawaii!

Currently available:

Education Reporter

Overview: Honolulu Civil Beat is looking for an experienced education reporter to write about core challenges and problems in Hawaii’s K-12 system. We’re seeking someone with a deep understanding of education policy who can zero in on difficult issues with an eye toward innovative solutions that might improve education in the islands. Understanding the budget, the role of the teacher’s union, politics and local culture will be key. On a practical level, effective investigative reporting and deft writing will be crucial to this work (We’re not looking for a typical school “beat” reporter.)

What will it take to be successful?

Our ideal candidate will have a proven record of success on investigative education-related projects and shorter watchdog enterprise coverage, as well as excellent analytical and writing skills. A potent voice is essential. 

Responsibilities

  • Balance daily and enterprise stories that dig into educational effectiveness, explore the complex social and mental health needs of students, examine the safety concerns of Honolulu schools, and serve as the watchdog to the school district’s budgets.
  • Dive into how Honolulu public schools compete in a landscape that includes public schools, homeschooling, charter schools, and private schools
  • Produce a steady drumbeat of stories of varying lengths and formats, including short-term and long-term enterprise stories; “key takeaways” and live coverage of school board meetings and events
  • Work collaboratively with editors, other reporters, photographers, the digital desk and the data visualization team to tell impactful stories across platforms that attract readers

Qualifications

  • This is a Honolulu-based position and we are seeking a mid-career reporter with a minimum of 7 years’ experience. Data journalism skills and knowledge of Hawaii, its culture and its issues are a plus.
  • Be detail-oriented, with a proven ability to effectively juggle multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment
  • Possess excellent reporting and writing skills to accurately produce content for our websites and publications
  • Able to develop sources and resources, generate story ideas and meet deadlines to create content placing the utmost emphasis on balanced reporting and high ethical standards.

How We Take Care of Our People:

Civil Beat pays competitive salaries, and has excellent benefit packages; including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 6% 401(k) match, six weeks PTO a year, and company-funded travel and training opportunities. The final determined salary offer for this position will depend on experience and qualifications; therefore, the anticipated salary range for this role is between $75,000 – $95,000.

Relocation Benefit & Housing Purchase Option

  • Relocation Benefit – Civil Beat offers a generous relocation benefit for hired candidates outside of Hawaii
  • Hawaii Housing Assistance Purchase Option – Civil Beat offers the ability to apply for assistance in purchasing a home in Hawaii.  This option is not guaranteed – Application and Approval required (Length of service minimum; as well as other criteria.)

How to APPLY for this job

Interested applicants to join Civil Beat in helping to make a difference in Hawaii, email a resume, 3-5 clips and a cover letter to apply@civilbeat.com. Please apply ASAP but applications accepted until position is filled.

Civil Beat seeks to build a newsroom that reflects the diversity and lived experience of people in Hawaii. We encourage people from all communities, especially communities underrepresented in journalism, to apply.

About Honolulu Civil Beat:

As a nonprofit, our focus is on investigative and watchdog journalism, in-depth enterprise reporting, analysis and commentary that gives readers a broad view on issues of importance to the community. The philanthropic gift that Pierre Omidyar gave to create Civil Beat in 2010 began a unique opportunity for Hawaii to develop a non-commercial media platform whose mission is to inform and educate Hawaii residents so they can make good decisions about vital issues. Civil Beat has quickly become one of the most respected news sites in Hawaii. Our journalists have won dozens of state, regional and national awards and Civil Beat has been named the best news website in Hawaii for the past 12 years by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Come be a part of a collective conscious team making a difference in Hawaii!

General Assignment Reporter

About Honolulu Civil Beat:

As a nonprofit, our focus is on investigative and watchdog journalism, in-depth enterprise reporting, analysis and commentary that gives readers a broad view on issues of importance to the community. The philanthropic gift that Pierre Omidyar gave to create Civil Beat in 2010 began a unique opportunity for Hawaii to develop a non-commercial media platform whose mission it is to inform and educate Hawaii residents so they can make good decisions about vital issues. Civil Beat has quickly become one of the most respected news sites in Hawaii. Our journalists have won dozens of state, regional and national awards and Civil Beat has been named the best news website in Hawaii for the past 12 years by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Come be a part of a collective conscious team making a difference in Hawaii!

What will it take to be successful?

Our ideal candidates will have a proven record of success on investigative projects and shorter watchdog enterprise coverage. They will be engaging storytellers with broad experience navigating public records, obtaining reluctant sources and identifying great stories that no one else is covering. CAR and data mining experience is preferred. Knowledge of Hawaii, the most diverse state in the U.S., a digital mindset and multimedia skills are a definite plus.  That said, we’re willing to consider great journalists who may not have every skill on our ideal checklist, but you must have a clear idea of what you want to do with the wide-open opportunities that Civil Beat offers for journalists who are serious about making a difference.

Responsibilities

  • You’ll report on human interest and breaking news across various general topics, collaborating when needed with reporters on the team and across the newsroom.
  • You’ll keep an eye out for the second-day story on the first day.
  • You’ll identify what Hawaii residents are talking about and bring those conversations to our readers.
  • You’ll use social media both as a reporting tool and as a venue for promoting work and communicating with readers.

Qualifications

  • This is a Honolulu-based position and we are seeking a mid-career reporter with a minimum of 7 years’ experience. Data journalism skills and knowledge of Hawaii, its culture and its issues are a plus.
  • Ability to generate creative story ideas related to general topics. The ideal candidate will start each day with a few ideas for what we should cover.
  • A versatile reporter with an experience covering a wide range of topics including government agencies and business and economic issues.
  • A reporter who doesn’t just think of a story in terms of word count, but how that story can best be told
  • A reporter who likes to experiment with voice and tone
  • Attention to detail and excellent written and oral communication skills
  • A reporter who is willing to approach newsgathering in a variety of ways, from picking up the phone and going to the scene to scouring social media and diving into data.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and adapt in a daily, unpredictable news environment.
  • Demonstrated ability to break out of traditional story formats

How We Take Care of Our People:

Civil Beat pays competitive salaries, and has excellent benefit packages; including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 6% 401(k) match, six weeks PTO a year, and company-funded travel and training opportunities. The final determined salary offer for this position will depend on experience and qualifications; therefore, the anticipated salary range for this role is between $75,000 – $95,000.

Relocation Benefit & Housing Purchase Option

  • Relocation Benefit – Civil Beat offers a generous relocation benefit for hired candidates outside of Hawaii
  • Hawaii Housing Assistance Purchase Option – Civil Beat offers the ability to apply for assistance in purchasing a home in Hawaii.  This option is not guaranteed – Application and Approval required (Length of service minimum; as well as other criteria.)

How to APPLY for this job

Interested applicants to join Civil Beat in helping to make a difference in Hawaii, email a resume, 3-5 clips and a cover letter to apply@civilbeat.com. Please apply ASAP but applications accepted until position is filled.

Civil Beat seeks to build a newsroom that reflects the diversity and lived experience of people in Hawaii. We encourage people from all communities, especially communities underrepresented in journalism, to apply.

Opinion Editor

Overview: There’s a couple of sayings in Hawaii — warnings, really — that it’s not good to be too different or critical of others in our small island state. “No make waves,” they say here, and the proverbial “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” At Honolulu Civil Beat, we believe it’s our duty to make waves — to be the nail that sticks up and speaks up — for a community that often needs a voice, especially when it comes to government actions that run contrary to the best interests of the public. We are looking for an astute observer of the political and social fabric who can produce the kind of compelling commentary that educates and engages readers on a number of levels, inspiring deeper thinking and civil debate on important issues.

What will it take to be successful?

The ideal candidate will be an excellent writer with strong research and reporting skills who is as comfortable analyzing data sets as they are “talking story” at home and in coffee shops, restaurants and bars. This is a high-energy position that requires a sharp thinker who wants to explore why things are the way they are, as well as how to make them better.

The Opinion Editor is the lead editorial writer and needs to be able to write editorials and other commentary on behalf of the Civil Beat Editorial Board. That often involves inviting newsmakers and community leaders in for ed board meetings. The editor also recruits and manages a diverse stable of contributing voices (op-eds). The ideal candidate will be an excellent persuasive writer who has (or can develop) a solid grasp of myriad issues important to Hawaii and to Civil Beat.

Responsibilities

  • Writing editorials and to make sure assigned editorials have been written.
  • Determining the content of the opinion page and attending the Editorial Board meetings.
  • Fielding questions and comments from readers concerning the opinion page.
  • Editing opinion articles for content, clarity, grammar and accuracy.
  • Meeting with opinion writers to discuss edits and pitches for new articles.
  • Abiding by all Civil Beat policies.

Qualifications

  • This is a Honolulu-based position and we are seeking a mid-career reporter with a minimum of 7 years’ experience. Data journalism skills and knowledge of Hawaii, its culture and its issues are a plus.
  • Excellent reporting and writing skills and the ability to write short-form editorials quickly and as needed to be on top of a developing issue.
  • Good people skills necessary to work in a multicultural island environment and comfortable representing Civil Beat in the community
  • Experience as an editorial writer or equivalent (commentator? speechwriter? lawyer?)
  • Editing experience
  • Familiarity with online news operations and interest in developing innovative opportunities to engage readers and build community including through video and podcast formats

How We Take Care of Our People:

Civil Beat pays competitive salaries, and has excellent benefit packages; including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 6% 401(k) match, six weeks PTO a year, and company-funded travel and training opportunities. The final determined salary offer for this position will depend on experience and qualifications; therefore, the anticipated salary range for this role is between $75,000 – $95,000.

Relocation Benefit & Housing Purchase Option

  • Relocation Benefit – Civil Beat offers a generous relocation benefit for hired candidates outside of Hawaii
  • Hawaii Housing Assistance Purchase Option – Civil Beat offers the ability to apply for assistance in purchasing a home in Hawaii.  This option is not guaranteed – Application and Approval required (Length of service minimum; as well as other criteria.)

How to APPLY for this job

Interested applicants to join Civil Beat in helping to make a difference in Hawaii, Send a cover letter explaining why you want this job and what you would do with the opportunity, a resume and at least five writing samples to apply@civilbeat.com.

Civil Beat seeks to build a newsroom that reflects the diversity and lived experience of people in Hawaii. We encourage people from all communities, especially communities underrepresented in journalism, to apply.

About Honolulu Civil Beat:

As a nonprofit, our focus is on investigative and watchdog journalism, in-depth enterprise reporting, analysis and commentary that gives readers a broad view on issues of importance to the community. The philanthropic gift that Pierre Omidyar gave to create Civil Beat in 2010 began a unique opportunity for Hawaii to develop a non-commercial media platform whose mission it is to inform and educate Hawaii residents so they can make good decisions about vital issues. Civil Beat has quickly become one of the most respected news sites in Hawaii. Our journalists have won dozens of state, regional and national awards and Civil Beat has been named the best news website in Hawaii for the past 12 years by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Come be a part of a collective conscious team making a difference in Hawaii!