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Posted: 23-Aug-24
Location: Lansing, Michigan
Type: Full Time
Salary: $65,000 to $80,000
Preferred Education:
Bridge Michigan, the state’s preeminent public policy online news site, seeks an outdoors reporter to cover all that Michigan has to offer, from hunting and fishing to beaches and trails to forests and water.
The Outdoors Life Reporter position is ideal for a candidate with a background in environment or outdoors reporting and a curiosity about not just Michigan but new ways of covering and delivering news.
This is a job with tons of opportunities for engagement, from newsletters to meet-ups. The successful candidate must be able to deliver amazing journalism and connect with readers — and understand that both are equally important. We envision someone who is comfortable reporting deep enterprise stories and also telling Michigan’s story through TikTok or Instagram and interactive, frequent newsletters.
The reporter will join our Environment Watch team, which includes a nationally recognized reporter who covers climate change, the state’s energy transition, pollution as well as natural resources and outdoors issues. In some cases, beats will overlap and the reporters will collaborate, so this is a job for a team player.
What you will get from BridgeMichigan: Support from a team of all-star reporters and editors who will bend over backwards to help you produce the best work of your career. We will support you with training, mentorships and generous budgets for travel, reader engagement and public records requests.
Bridge Michigan is one of America’s great civic news organizations, with secure long-term funding and a clear mission to improve Michigan through our reporting. We are committed to lifting diverse, often ignored voices and covering the state in an equitable manner. We are also zealously nonpartisan and committed to questioning conventional wisdom in our reporting.
The entire Center for Michigan team is expected to dedicate themselves to improving Bridge Michigan’s people-first culture, public outreach and journalistic excellence. We are proud of our values and try to incorporate them in all we do. All Center for Michigan employees are expected to follow our Ethics and Conflict of Interest policy.
The job comes as Bridge Michigan is expanding its coverage to connect with more Michiganders and report on areas that are often overlooked by traditional media but make the state unique and wonderful.
Position Requirements
- Five years’ experience in journalism, including experience covering the environment or outdoors reporting
- A portfolio of work that can include traditional news stories, videos, newsletters or something else altogether
- A creative mindset, deep knowledge of Michigan or a curiosity about it, a willingness to travel throughout the state and get out of your comfort zone. On a typical week, for instance, the successful candidate could write about everything from skiing and bird watching to fitness and state resources.
- A desire to bring joy to journalism. The successful applicant won’t shy away from writing about controversial topics — or reminders of why Michigan is amazing.
- A commitment to fairness, seeing all sides, a willingness to be surprised and follow facts.
- A collaborative mindset and generous spirit. We want our reporters to be aggressive, but they need to be good co-workers.
Bridge Michigan has offices in Lansing and Ypsilanti. This is not a remote job, and the successful applicant must be based (or move) to Michigan. Otherwise, we are flexible and trust reporters to determine their best work environments.
How to apply
If you’re interested in applying, please submit an application to jobs@bridgemi.com and write “Outdoors Life Reporter” in the subject line. Include a resume, a detailed cover letter explaining how you would approach the position, including coverage areas, newsletter ideas, opportunities for engagement, and four to seven work samples. Candidates should submit their application by Friday, Sep 20.
About The Center for Michigan and This Position
Bridge Michigan is a publication of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Michigan. All staff of Bridge Michigan are employees of the Center for Michigan.
Founded in 2006, the Center for Michigan is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Michigan better through high-quality, nonpartisan journalism and engagement.
The Center for Michigan offers competitive salaries, eligibility for an end-of-year performance bonus and flexible work arrangements. The expected base salary range for this position is $65,000 to $80,000 annually. Our offices have a casual environment and we respect work-life balance. Benefits at the Center for Michigan include:
- Medical, vision and dental insurance (90% employer paid for employee and eligible dependents)
- Telehealth services (100% employer paid for employee and eligible dependents)
- 1% 401(k) match
- 4-6 weeks of maternity/paternity/adoption leave
- Minimum three weeks paid time off per year
- Eight paid holidays
- Monthly phone stipend
- Annual professional development and subscription allowances
The Center for Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity in its workforce, creating an inclusive environment and building an organization that better re?ects its communities and encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people with disabilities.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The Center for Michigan will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), age, disability/handicap, height, weight, marital status, familial status, veteran status, citizenship or any other classification protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.