Climate News Fellow

Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to highlighting climate solutions and uncovering environmental injustices. Since 1999, we have used the power of journalism to engage the public about the perils of the most existential threat we face. Now that three-quarters of Americans recognize that climate change is happening, we’ve shifted our focus to show that a just and sustainable future is within reach. 

Over the past four years, Grist has scaled from a Seattle based team of 20-25 to a nationally distributed organization of ~60 with a growing budget. Grist’s strategy centers on climate, justice, and solutions, and we implement our mission through two areas of work: Our award-winning Editorial Program and our work to transform talent and representation within environmental storytelling. Grist was recently awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. In addition, Grist was named best small newsroom by the Edward R Murrow Awards in 2022 and the Online Journalism Awards in 2021 (among dozens of other awards and nominations). According to a summer 2023 survey, 100% of staff would recommend Grist to a friend.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Grist is looking for a Climate News Fellow to join our Editorial team. With the mentorship and support of Grist’s newsroom, the Climate News Fellow will be expected to report and write stories on the latest developments on the climate beat, from the impacts of warming, to policy and regulation rollbacks under a Trump administration, to the progress being made to tackle the climate crisis. This position will be expected to write quick takes on the news, newsletter items, and more in-depth reported stories.

This fellowship is a full-time, non-exempt position and will run for 12 months, beginning May 5, 2025 and ending April 30, 2026. 

The annual base pay for this position is $58,750. This position is represented by Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild Local 37082 (“Grist NewsGuild”). This position will report to a Senior Editor.

THE GRIST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

As a climate solutions fellow at Grist, you will be a part of our larger fellowship program, which aims to provide a formative experience in a geographically distributed but tight-knit media organization and professional development for early-career journalists and storytellers. We will encourage full participation in staff discussions and meetings and seek input on issues large and small.

Fellows can be based anywhere in the United States. Global health conditions permitting, at a future date there may be opportunities to work out of Grist’s Seattle or New York offices. All fellows who work remotely will be encouraged to report on stories in their home community.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify and pitch ideas for timely stories on climate science, politics, and policy
• Write 2-3 stories — including quick news and analysis pieces — each week
• Assist with other reporting duties, like research, production, fact-checking, and copy-editing as needed.
• Pitch and execute at least one feature story by the end of the fellowship
• Contribute periodically to larger projects as part of a team
• Write and report pieces for Grist’s newsletters
• Engage actively in meetings, such as story brainstorms and fellow trainings
• Assist with production of the annual Grist 50 list of emerging climate leaders

QUALIFICATIONS

The mission of the Grist fellowship program is to help underrepresented, early-career climate journalists gain a stronger foothold in our industry. Our definition of “early-career” includes but is not limited to: journalists who are relatively new to the environmental/climate beat, freelancers who have not had full-time newsroom experience, recent journalism school graduates, and scientists without traditional journalism training but with strong writing clips and content knowledge. 

Other requirements

• Four-year degree, or equivalent professional experience
• Passion for climate and environmental journalism, with a focus on science, politics, or policy
• Strong understanding of Grist’s brand
• Strong writing skills
• Demonstrated experience in research or reporting
• Demonstrated comfort with writing on deadline
• Ability to make a full-time, 12-month commitment
• Legally able to work in the United States
• Living in the United States for the duration of the fellowship
• Available during standard work hours in their U.S. time zone.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Fellows will work closely with their editor to receive comprehensive and compassionate feedback on their stories
• Fellows across Grist meet regularly as a cohort with members of the editorial staff to develop skills and content knowledge specific to both climate reporting and journalism craft
• Fellows benefit from full integration into the workings of a busy and exciting nonprofit media organization
• Fellows come away with 12 months of solid newsroom experience, a body of clips, and fluency in climate and environmental justice issues

THE APPLICATION

Applicants must submit the following application materials.  Please note that applications without both a resume and cover letter will not be considered.  

1.  Resume
2. Cover letter. We are looking for a succinct, thoughtful cover letter that explains what you are passionate about when it comes to climate news (science, politics, or policy) coverage, gives examples of story ideas you might want to pursue, and reasons you believe you are a good fit for this position.
3. Links to two news writing samples. These can appear within or appended to the end of your cover letter. Writing samples can be newspaper or magazine clips, blog posts, or unpublished pieces. We will gladly accept links to multimedia samples (video, illustration, infographic, podcast, etc.) but cannot review original files. If you have a GitHub account you’d like to show us, please provide a link to your profile. 
4. Finalist candidates who are asked to submit a writing test will be compensated.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:  PLEASE READ

Cover letters must be uploaded as a separate attachment via Greenhouse. Please include “Climate News Fellow” in the document title. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please submit applications by 11:59 PT on January 21, 2025. 

If you have questions, please email fellowships@grist.org. No phone calls, please.

BENEFITS

• Medical, dental, and vision premiums paid 100% for Employee and 85% for Dependent premiums
• Employer-paid Basic Life, ADD, Travel Assistance, STD/LTD, EAPs
• Voluntary Insurance include Health, Dependent, and Transit FSA, Life/ADD, Critical Illness and Accident Insurance
• Traditional and Roth 401k with matching (vested immediately)
• New Employee Remote Office Set-up reimbursement
• Monthly WiFi Stipend
• Alternative Transportation Reimbursement
• Fifteen paid holidays per year (which includes office closure between Dec 25 and Jan 1) plus five floating holidays and 3 summer days
• Generous paid leave including medical and family leave, parental leave, abortion leave, sabbatical leave, and many other paid and unpaid leave programs
• Annual in-person all-staff retreat (subject to pandemic conditions)
• Flexible work options

Cultivating an inclusive staff is central to Grist’s focus on advancing equity. We’re interested in hearing from people who can work with diverse colleagues of varied experience. Candidates of all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Grist is an equal-opportunity employer. 

Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

 

GRIST MAGAZINE, INC. APPLICANT PRIVACY NOTICE

Last updated 08/05/2023

This Applicant Privacy Notice (“Notice”) describes the personal information Grist Magazine, Inc., (collectively “Grist”, “us”, or “we”) collect when you apply for a position with us on Grist’s Career page (the “Careers Website”), how we use it, how long we retain it, and with whom we share it. This Notice does not apply to third party sites or services outside of Grist’s Careers Website and application process.  

Personal Information is any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular individual.

INFORMATION COLLECTION, USE, AND RETENTION

When you apply for a position at Grist, we collect or receive personal information at various stages in the application process as described below

• Complete an application: When you apply for a position with Grist, we collect from you your identifiers (name, email address, telephone number, and home address), your professional or employment information (resume/CV, cover letter, certifications or licenses, qualifications, employment history, educational history, and references), and you may provide a summary on why you wish to work at Grist. You also can provide, although it is not required, direct links to your social media pages. We use this information to review your background and skills, to determine your qualifications for the role you are applying, to confirm information related to your employment and education.  For equal employment and affirmative action purposes, you also have the option to respond to our voluntary survey that collects information about your protected classifications (gender, age, race, ethnicity, and disability status) some of which are sensitive information. We use this protected classification information for government reporting purposes, to comply with legal requirements related to hiring practices (for example, to create a record of the applicant’s process and confirm our hiring practices are legal in the event of there is a question form the Equal Opportunity Commission (“EEOC), to analyze requested disability accommodations as applicable, and to maintain a record of things like accommodations we provided to address your needs. Grist retains your application for one (1) year.

Participate in an interview: If you participate in an interview with Grist, we may collect from you certain identifiers (your name). We use this information to ensure the security of Grist personnel and to verify your identity for purposes of the interview. 

• .Conduct a Background Check. If you get to the stage of the application process where a background check is necessary, our third-party background check provider will collect directly from you your identifiers (name, date of birth, and address) and your sensitive information (Social Security Number). Grist receives a report from our third-party provider with the information they collected from their search performed according to local and state laws. Such information could include your identifiers (name, date of birth, addresses (current and former)) your sensitive information (Social Security number, driver’s license number, gender, marital status), your educational/profession information (certifications or licenses, qualifications, employment history, and educational history) and if it exists, your criminal history (police reports, criminal records). 
• Role-Based Testing. Some of our positions require our applicants to complete a skills-based test, such as a writing or editing test, a data visualization test, a qualitative analysis test, or a computer programming test. These tests are designed to ensure your qualifications are at a level we require for certain positions. We use the results of these tests as one factor of a multifactor job application process. You will be able to see your results. 
• Outside Recruiters. We utilize outside recruitment companies, like LinkedIn, to help us find potential candidates for open positions within Grist. We collect from them your identifiers (name, address, email address, telephone number), educational or professional information (details on your resume/CV, certifications, qualifications, employment history, educational history) and any other information you provided to the recruiter. We use this information to communicate with you about prospective job opportunities, to review your background and skills, determine your qualifications for the role you are applying to, and to confirm information related to your education. 

Information Collected Automatically by Cookies

In addition to the personal information you provide and we collect from third parties, when you use our Careers Website, we collect information automatically via cookies and similar technologies.  

• When You Visit our Careers Website.  When you visit our Careers Website to look for or apply to open positions, we automatically collect electronic network activity information (IP addresses, device identifiers, application identifiers, your interactions with the Careers Website such as referring web page, pages visited on our Careers Website and other sites, and information about the platforms, browsers, devices, and computers you use to access the Careers Website, including browser type, city, region, country, language, operating system) via cookies. We use your internet and network activity information to enable Careers Website functionality and accessibility, manage access and provide security, deliver a personalized online experience, and provide you information regarding the jobs to which you applied and those that may be of interest to you.  We also use cookies and similar technologies to collect your geolocation data (based on your IP address and Wi-Fi access points).  

We use both session and persistent cookies on our Careers Website, and we use the types of cookies described below.

• Essential cookies. Essential cookies are necessary to provide the Careers Website. Without these cookies, the Careers Website would not function properly, and you would not be able to use certain features of the Careers Website. Essential cookies are also used to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of the Careers Website. Essential cookies cannot be disabled. 
• Preferences cookies. We use preferences cookies to: (i) remember information that changes the way the service behaves or looks, such as the "remember me" functionality of a registered user; (ii) a user's language preference; or (iii) a user’s e-mail marketing preferences.  
• Functional cookies. We use functional cookies to operate our Careers Website and they cannot be disabled. Functional cookies provide: (i) enhanced functionality and personalization; (ii) remember your preferences; (iii) diagnose server and software errors; and (iv) in cases of abuse, track and mitigate the abuse.
• Analytical Cookies. We use analytics cookies, as do our analytics providers, to analyze traffic on the Careers Website. These analytics cookies allow us and our analytics providers to: (i) recognize and count the number of visitors to the Careers Website; (ii) see how visitors interact with the Careers Website; (iii) see how visitors engage with different functions; and (iv) see when visitors are using the Careers Website. This information helps us to improve our Careers Website. We use this information so that we can make improvements and test pages, features or new functionality to see how our users react to them

INFORMATION SHARING

General Sharing:  

Grist may share applicant personal information in the following instances:   

• Within Grist: We share applicant personal information among our hiring decision-makers, affiliates, and other employees involved in the hiring process (i.e. human resources department, senior management, and other managers) for the legitimate business purposes of assessing applications and making hiring decisions. 
• For legal purposes: We share applicant personal information with third parties, such as legal advisors, law enforcement agencies, or governmental/regulatory bodies in order to protect our legal interests and other rights, protect against fraud or other illegal activities, for risk management purposes, and to comply with legal obligations.
• During a corporate reorganization: In the event that we enter into, or intend to enter into, a transaction that alters the structure of our business, such as a reorganization, merger, acquisition, sale, joint venture, assignment, consolidation, transfer, change of control, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, we would share applicant personal information. We would also share applicant personal information if we undergo bankruptcy or liquidation, in the course of such proceedings. 

YOUR INFORMATION CHOICES

• Correct or View Your Information. You may access the Grist Careers Website account to correct or view certain personal information you have provided to us and which is associated with your account. 
• Opt Out of Online Advertising. As of the “Last Updated Date” at the beginning of this Notice, we do not utilize advertising services on our Careers Website. Some of the companies that could provide future advertising services on our Careers Website may participate in industry-developed programs designed to provide consumers with choices about whether to receive tailored ads that are based on your online activities. To learn more and to opt out of such targeted advertising from participating companies, please visit the Network Advertising Initiative, the Digital Advertising Alliance. To successfully opt out, you must have cookies enabled in your web browser (see your browser's instructions for information on cookies and how to enable them). Your opt out only applies to the web browser you use, so you must opt out of each web browser on each device you use. Once you opt out, if you delete your browser's saved cookies, you will need to opt out again. If you opt out, you will still see ads from Grist, but the ads will be less relevant to you and your interests.

DO NOT TRACK 

We do not support Do Not Track. Do Not Track is a preference you can set in your web browser to inform websites that you do not want to be tracked. You can enable or disable Do Not Track by visiting the Preferences or Settings page of your web browser. 

INFORMATION SECURITY

Grist employs data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. Where appropriate, we use firewalls and limits on who can access databases that store personal information.

Please keep in mind that it is not possible to achieve a perfect state of data security. Although we maintain reasonable administrative, physical and electronic security measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, we cannot ensure absolute security of any information you transmit to us or guarantee that this information will not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed. We will make any legally required disclosures of any breach of the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your un-encrypted electronically stored personal information. However, no security measure or modality of data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure and we are unable to guarantee the absolute security of the personal information we have collected from you.  

PERSONAL INFORMATION OF INDIVIDUALS UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN (18) 

Grist’s Careers Website is not intended for use by individuals under the age of eighteen (18). If we learn that we have collected or received personal information from individuals under the age of eighteen (18), we will delete the personal information. If you believe we have the personal information of individuals under the age of eighteen (18), please contact us.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

This Notice is subject to change at any time. Changes to this Notice will be posted on this page and will indicate the date the changes go into effect. If we make any changes that materially affect your privacy rights, we will announce those changes by posting on this page and, if legally required, we will obtain your consent. 

CONTACT US 

For questions on this Notice or the protection of your personal information and privacy rights, please contact MJ Mendoza at mmendoza@grist.org.