Freelance Reporter, Los Angeles Education News

The 74 is looking to commission Los Angeles-based freelance reporters to cover the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest school system, as it recovers from the pandemic. Responsibilities will also occasionally include writing about other California school districts and statewide education policies. 

Writers will work closely with a senior editor to cover the fallout from the crisis, the response from LAUSD, innovations developed in response, and what it all means for the students and families. Emerging storylines also include the tenure of a new superintendent, recovery efforts in LAUSD schools, widening achievement gaps between different student populations and the district’s spiraling issues of chronic absenteeism and enrollment declines.

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can pitch, chase, and report feature stories as well as breaking news, juggle daily deadlines, and larger long-term projects. You are an effective and communicative team member, able to collaborate with editors, writers, web producers, and videographers who may be halfway across the country to produce impactful, visually compelling journalism. 

Qualifications and requirements:

• At least 1-3 years of experience as a reporter. Previous education coverage is a plus, but not required 
• Demonstrated reporting and writing ability involving both daily news and enterprise features
• Keen attention to detail and ability to file on deadline
• Comfortable with pursuing emerging topics and storylines that may not yet have a defined angle, and with engaging characters and communities that are too often missing from mainstream news coverage

The 74 Media is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news site covering education in America. Our mission is to lead an honest, fact-based conversation about how to give America’s 74 million children under the age of 18 the education they deserve. 

The 74 is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse and inclusive group of qualified professionals and encourages members of diverse groups to apply.

Submit inquiries, resumes, clips to careers@the74million.org