The Hechinger Report is a nonprofit news outlet that covers education across the United States. We’re a small newsroom with big ambitions to cover the most pressing issues facing classrooms and campuses. Our journalists travel across the country and the world asking tough questions, seeking out promising solutions, and listening to the voices of educators, families and kids. Here are the opportunities to join us in our mission.
Openings
Higher Education Reporter
The Hechinger Report, the award-winning nonprofit news outlet focused on inequality and innovation in education, seeks a Higher Education Reporter to cover national higher education issues. The reporter will write in-depth stories that appear on Hechinger’s website and with our many partner publications, including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and NPR.
The Higher Education Reporter will work closely with the Senior Editor for Higher Education and other members of the newsroom to help shape coverage priorities, develop ambitious story ideas, and identify opportunities to expand the reach and impact of Hechinger’s higher education journalism.
The Higher Education Reporter will develop deep expertise on the higher education beat, identify emerging trends and report on issues including inequality, college affordability and access. The incumbent will produce stories that combine on-the-ground reporting from campuses and training programs with research, analysis, expert perspectives and compelling examples of people affected. The position requires an understanding of how politics, policy choices and economic forces affect colleges and universities and influence young people’s paths after high school. It also requires sophisticated knowledge of the players, networks, critics and innovators in higher education, and the ability to work with major news outlets throughout the U.S.
Hechinger is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Building a diverse and inclusive newsroom is integral to Hechinger’s mission. Just as we seek to elevate diverse perspectives through our journalism, we also strive to ensure that the writers and editors telling those stories come from diverse backgrounds.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Report and write enterprise stories on higher education for the Hechinger Report and partner publications, with a focus on ideas and angles that have not been covered elsewhere
- Identify emerging trends, underreported issues, and distinctive angles that advance public understanding of higher education
- Conduct on-the-ground reporting and incorporate data, research, policy analysis, public records, expert perspectives, and individual experiences into compelling journalism for general audiences
- Write our biweekly higher education newsletter
- Develop, cultivate and maintain sources on the higher education beat
- Represent The Hechinger Report at conferences and participate in media interviews and panel discussions
- Collaborate with the Audience and Engagement team to build readership and expand the reach of Hechinger stories, including by producing vertical videos, writing special newsletters, and more
- Other duties as assigned
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- 4+ years of reporting experience, including for national outlets
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, or a related field, or equivalent experience and training
- Excellent news judgment and ability to identify important stories and emerging trends
- Strong writing skills and ability to produce compelling, in-depth features for a general audience
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, manage multiple assignments and collaborate with team members
- Experience with data and accountability reporting and an interest in developing investigative and narrative reporting skills
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience covering higher education
- Strong data and investigative reporting skills
- At least six years of reporting experience, including for national outlets
- Experience appearing in broadcast media: media training a plus
- Experience building and engaging a dedicated audience through newsletters, social media or other platforms
BENEFITS:
This position will pay $80,000 a year. Because Hechinger is an independent unit of Teachers College, Columbia University, this position also receives the College’s Full-Time Professional Benefits, which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans, a 403(b) tax-advantaged retirement investment plan, and tuition remission for employees and eligible dependents.
RESTRICTIONS:
The Hechinger Report’s office is located in New York City. This role may be remote.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive newsroom. Just as we seek to elevate diverse perspectives through our journalism, we also strive to ensure that the writers and editors telling those stories come from diverse backgrounds. Candidates who do not meet every qualification but believe their skills and experience would allow them to succeed in the role are encouraged to apply and share what they would bring to the newsroom.
Application Instructions:
The application deadline is November 20 at 10:00 a.m ET. In your application, please include:
- Your resume
- A cover letter that describes a project or story that you are particularly proud of, why you are proud of it, and any impact it had.
- A link or an accessible authorized PDF copy of the project or story you describe in your cover letter. (Please label this sample ‘Cover Letter Sample’ followed by the story’s headline or title.)
- Two more clips of your published journalism, either as links or as accessible authorized PDF copies. These should be examples of your best journalism and do not need to be education stories.
We plan to fill the position by February 1, 2027.
Education Reporting Intern
The Hechinger Report
Summer 2027
Job Description
The Hechinger Report is looking for a summer reporting intern. During this 12-week internship, the intern will produce at least one feature story on an education issue that will appear on our site and potentially with one of our media partners. The intern also may assist with newsletters and other reporting as needed.
This is an excellent opportunity to work with our experienced editors and reporters on in-depth journalism. Hechinger Report coverage is known for its focus on how education policy affects students and educators in classrooms and on campuses, and the internship usually requires some travel. Past interns have produced stories on young voters at the Republican and Democratic national conventions, controversial district decisions to close schools, the Trump administration’s shutdown of a climate education resource, and the impact of the Dobbs decision on OBGYN training, to name a few. Their work has been co-published in The Washington Post, KQED Mind/Shift, Chalkbeat and NBCNews.com, among other partners.
The internship is an interim salaried position that pays $750/week. The intern may work remotely, but an intern based in New York City will benefit from in-person contact with our staff there. Please propose an education story idea in your application that you would like to pursue and that you could start working on as soon as you arrive. Be prepared to discuss that idea with Hechinger editors.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in progress or completed in journalism or related field
- Comfort with writing feature stories
- Able to understand and explain data to a general audience
- Experience doing research
- Basic knowledge of national education issues
- Experience with photography/multimedia is a plus
- Prior internship at a news outlet
The application requires a resume, cover letter, two published clips and the story idea (a pitch) that you’d like to pursue during the internship.
The Hechinger Report is always in search of new writers. Learn more about freelancing for us.