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Local Reporting Network Fellow

Remote, United States

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. 

The Local Reporting Network aims to be responsive to the needs of local journalists. There are multiple ways of working with us.

  • The majority of our partnerships are yearlong accountability journalism projects of importance to local communities. We are taking on​ two more projects in 2026 and are recruiting for those right now. We will also be accepting 15 new projects in 2027. We will reimburse a news organization for the salary of the selected reporter (up to $80,000 for 2026 and $82,500 for 2027, plus a benefits stipend). These will be selected on a rolling basis, with specific deadlines for each round. 
  • Here are the details:
    • Winter 2026 opportunity
      Application deadline: Rolling, letters of interest to local.reporting@propublica.org by Oct. 15, 2026.
      Open to: Newsrooms in the states listed as eligible through our 50 State Initiative. Fellowship dates: Flexible, to start on or before Jan. 1, 2027.
    • Spring 2027 cohort
      Application deadline: Rolling, no later than Jan. 25, 2027, by 11:59 p.m. ET. Apply here.
      Open to: All applicants from English-language local and regional newsrooms in the United States and its territories.
      Fellowship dates: April 1, 2027, through March 31, 2028. 
    • Summer 2027 cohort
      Application deadline: Rolling, no later than April 26, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Apply here.
      Open to: Newsrooms in the states listed as eligible through our 50 State Initiative.
      Fellowships dates: July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. 
    • Fall cohort
      Application deadline: Rolling, no later than July 26, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
      Apply here.
      Open to: Newsrooms in the remaining states listed as eligible through our 50 State Initiative.
      Fellowship dates: Oct. 1, 2027, through Sept. 30, 2028.

 

Sarah Blustain

Assistant Managing Editor/Local

ProPublica

631-903-0650 (cell)

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or any other status protected under applicable law. 

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MEMO Please upload a memo of no more than 2,500 words about how you see the project unfolding. The proposed coverage can take any number of forms: a few long stories, an ongoing series of shorter stories, text, radio, video or other kinds of creative storytelling. Generally we prefer to consider rolling investigations rather than single big stories. (Please consider the following questions in your response. You can use these questions to structure your memo, or write it in a format of your choice.) Who or what is being harmed? What is your hypothesis for what is going wrong? Why does this project need to be told in your particular community? Why does this project have particular urgency now? What is your plan for executing the work? What data, documents or communities do you hope to rely on for your reporting? Why will this coverage be crucial to the community the project focuses on? What might change as a result of your work? *

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Please name your document “last name, first name memo"

Please provide three clips of your best work or stories that reflect a deep understanding of the topic or community at the center of the project. For each clip, please share a bit of the backstory that will help us get to know how you work: for instance, how you came to the story; particular challenges or successes; any impact; and journalistic lessons learned. 

 

Please include PDFs or links. If you choose to upload PDFs, please name your document "last name, first name clip 1"; if you are including links to paywalled sites, please let us know how to access them.


Applications without three work samples will not be considered.

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Please tell us about your role in this piece from inception to publication. We want to understand how you work and think. Some questions to consider: How did your work shape and improve this story? If you wrote the story, tell us how it came about. How did you overcome challenges? Is there something you wanted to do that you couldn't for whatever reason? Or, in hindsight, might you have done something differently? Was there any resulting impact from this work?

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If you choose to upload, please name your document "last name, first name clip 3"

Please tell us the salary your newsroom currently pays you or, if you’re a freelancer, what the newsroom has agreed to pay you for the duration of this project. (Please provide an exact figure, not including benefits.) We will reimburse that, up to a cap of $80,000, with an additional 25% benefits stipend.

Editor’s reference: Please upload a letter from your sponsoring editor. The editor should consider including: insights about why you are well equipped to take on this project; your particular strengths and what skills might be developed through the fellowship; to what extent you have covered the community this project affects; possible obstacles and how you might address them; how this project might benefit the newsroom as a whole.*

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Please name your document "reporter's last name, first name reference".

Additional Information 2025

We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages, and we’re taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women and people of color.
 
The following questions are part of our efforts to ensure that we have attracted a diverse pool of candidates. Your answers to these questions will in no way affect your chances of being hired.  We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind.  All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or any other status protected under applicable law. It's also completely fine to indicate that you do not wish to answer these questions, and it will in no way affect your chances of getting hired. 

If you're interested, see how our staff answered these questions in our latest diversity report.

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