Apprentice Reporters
About The Center Square
The Center Square is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national newswire service headquartered in Chicago with staff deployed across the country. We produce original, taxpayer-focused government accountability journalism for more than 1,360 local, state, and national media partners, reaching 141 million Americans daily.
Focus on the size, scope, cost, and effectiveness of government is our distinct lane, and has been the key to The Center Square's unprecedented growth as a U.S. news brand. At a time when news media is contracting, and media trust is waning, The Center Square is growing rapidly by providing original news that is well reported, fair, and focused on covering government for the people and holding those in power to account.
We call it The Center Square Way. It means we hold government accountable by showing people what their government is doing, what it costs them, and what it means for the taxpayers, businesses and communities where they live. Our reporters do not write opinion. Our editors do not tolerate it. We compete on accuracy, velocity and frequency — filing more stories, faster, with fewer errors than anyone else covering this beat. Every story goes through a backfield editing system designed to catch what other newsrooms miss. That’s not a slogan. It’s how we operate, every day, across every state we cover.
The Center Square has grown from a startup in 2019 to one of the most widely distributed newswire services in the country — because media partners trust our copy and readers trust our approach. We intend to keep earning that trust.
We operate as professionals. We compensate our employees well and offer a generous benefit plan.
The Role
An apprentice reporter for The Center Square is a journalist near the beginning of their professional career who spends six months under the guidance of experienced editors who will train them on the news gathering, reporting and writing process. The Center Square reports the news on public policy and other matters of interest to taxpayers across the U.S., and apprentice reporters will help us further that mission. These are paid positions, and successful completion of the apprenticeship program could lead to a full-time reporting job at The Center Square.
The Center Square covers government from a taxpayers’ perspective, not from government’s perspective. We hold government officials accountable for their actions and decisions, and inform our readers how those decisions affect them.
The apprentice reporters will help supplement our coverage in key states, including Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Duties and responsibilities will include:
- Report on legislative and policy issues and their impact on taxpayers in assigned states.
- Contribute to The Center Square's coverage of key races in advance of the November election.
- Participate in weekly meetings with a Managing Editor, who will mentor apprentice reporters on navigating public records and databases to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse.
- Publish up to 10 news stories each week
- Generate relevant story ideas with frequency, and discuss with managing editor.
- Cultivate trusted sources to provide leads on potential stories, including those inside and outside government, think tanks, academia, unions and the business community.
- Monitor the media landscape to identify popular topics and potential media partners.
Qualifications:
- Passionate about The Center Square’s mission
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- Background in journalism or journalistic functions
- Familiarity with government policy issues
- Ability to uncover original stories and break them
- Entrepreneurial approach and ability to work independently
- Excellent, proactive communicator
- Demonstrated understanding of planning and budgeting processes
- Ability to travel on an as-needed basis, including regionally when called upon
- Strong commitment to the principles of personal responsibility and free enterprise
Send resume, cover letter and links to clips to dmccaleb@thecentersquare.com.