We are not currently accepting applications for this position.

​​ProPublica and The Texas Tribune are creating a joint investigative unit based in Austin to cover important accountability stories throughout the state. And we’re looking for a research reporter to join the team.

Texas is at or near the center of many national news stories and demographic and political shifts often play out there first. The state is at the forefront of the immigration debate. Its education policies influence the nation’s textbooks. It’s ground zero for the nation’s fights over energy and natural resources. It is a magnet for corporate relocations and technology companies. We’re not looking to cover the news day to day or the policy battles in the Legislature. (The Tribune has that handled.) Instead, we are going be chronicling gaps in oversight, abuses of power, conflicts of interest and betrayals of the public trust throughout the state.

Our research reporting team is full of journalists who specialize in using public records, documents and proprietary databases for storytelling. They collaborate with other journalists at ProPublica and work on their own projects.

Apply using this form.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 31.

We’re looking for a journalist who has:

• Ideas about stories they want to tell using documents and public records.
• Advanced skills in using public records databases to ferret out facts. Being able to search Nexis or PACER is great, but what we want is somebody who’s eager to dig even deeper.
• The ability to track down people who are hard to find and do comprehensive background research.
• Experience with the Freedom of Information Act and state open-records request processes and laws, and knowledge of how to negotiate to get datasets and documents.
• Really likes working with others. ProPublica and the Tribune are collaborative news organizations. We want the same for this new team, which will combine the strengths of two great newsrooms.

Foreign language skills — especially Spanish — are a plus, as is a familiarity with Texas public records.

We want to hire journalists who bring a diversity of experiences, talents and viewpoints to their work. So, if you don’t think you can check off every box on the list above but are confident you can contribute to our efforts, please don’t hesitate to apply. What all of us at ProPublica and the Tribune have common is a devotion to digging for the truth.

ProPublica and the Tribune are dedicated to improving our newsrooms, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of the ProPublica staff; you can see the Tribune’s here.)

Our newsrooms 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.

If all of this sounds exciting to you, apply using this form.

The research reporter will be a ProPublica employee and on ProPublica’s payroll. This position is part of ProPublica’s research reporting team and it reports to Katie Zavadski. The role is full time, based in the Tribune’s Austin newsroom, and comes with benefits.

Questions? Send them to [email protected]. No phone calls, please.

Want to know about other jobs at ProPublica? We have them.

If this job doesn’t sound right for you, we may have others that are. We are hiring. Here is where we list all of our jobs, and where you can sign up to be notified when there is an opening. Here are the various fellowships we offer for promising journalists who typically have less experience.