Digital Engagement Fellow

About CIR

For half a century, the Center for Investigative Reporting—home to Reveal and Mother Jones—has been where fearless journalism meets relentless innovation. Our work was named a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist, adding to accolades that already include Emmys, Polks, Ambies, National Magazine Awards, Webbys, Peabodys, and duPonts. We've been exposing the truth since before "going viral" was a thing, and we've never stopped breaking major investigations that shape the national conversation. Our journalism lands across every platform that matters: print, radio, podcasts, documentaries, digital, and beyond. We take risks and don't answer to billionaires or party lines. If you're ready to strap in for a hell of a journalistic ride, with colleagues pushing one another to stay on the cutting edge, you've come to the right newsroom.

Position Overview

CIR's fellowship program has long been one of the most respected in investigative journalism, a launchpad for early-career talent who go on to do extraordinary work. The Digital Engagement Fellow is the latest evolution of that tradition, designed for someone who's passionate about the space between great journalism and the audiences it's meant to reach.

If you've ever wondered how an investigation goes from a draft in Google Docs to a front-page feature to a viral social moment to a podcast episode, you'll see every step of that process up close—and play a real role in making it happen. You’ll work on social programming across two big, award-winning brands—Mother Jones and Reveal—web publishing, story packaging, coordinating rollouts, and making sure every piece of coverage looks sharp and lands where it should.

Key Responsibilities

Social Media Programming & Publishing

• Help plan, draft, and schedule social media content across CIR's platforms—including Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Reddit—for both Reveal and Mother Jones.

• Support the repromotion of CIR's deep catalogue of investigations when they become relevant to the news cycle—pulling the right stories, packaging them for social, and getting them out fast.

• Learn and contribute to CIR's social voice across platforms.

Web Publishing & Story Staging

• Master the CMS—handling formatting, image placement, metadata, SEO tags, embeds, and cross-links.

• Help stage stories for launch—coordinating timing, assets, and promotional materials to ensure everything goes live cleanly and on schedule.

• Surface and embed video, audio, and interactive elements within stories to create richer reader experiences.

Audience Development & Engagement

• Contribute to audience experiments and growth initiatives under the guidance of senior editors and audience strategists.

• Help maintain and improve newsletter workflows, including content selection, formatting, and distribution.

Video & Multimedia Support

• Assist with the creation and distribution of video assets—clips, audiograms, social cuts, and promotional materials—across platforms.

• Support the broader editorial team in making video a more visible and consistent part of CIR's digital presence.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Participate in editorial meetings, story planning sessions, and postmortems—contributing ideas and learning how editorial decisions get made.

• Take on special projects as they arise.
  
  

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in journalism, digital media, or a related field. Early-career professionals are strongly encouraged to apply.

• A genuine passion for investigative journalism and a curiosity about how great reporting reaches and moves audiences.

• Fluency in social media platforms—not just as a user, but with an understanding of how content strategies differ across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Reddit, and emerging spaces. You don't need to be an expert, but you should be a sharp, attentive observer of what works and why.

• Strong writing and communication skills. You'll be drafting social copy, writing headlines, and packaging stories—clear, engaging language matters.

• Comfort with video concepts and platforms. You don't need to be an editor, but you should understand how video content works on digital platforms and be ready to learn production basics. Basic familiarity with web publishing tools is a real plus.

• Organizational discipline. This role involves a lot of moving pieces—publish hiring schedules, asset coordination, cross-team communication. You need to be someone who keeps track of things and follows through.

• Initiative and curiosity.

We have a strong preference for candidates based in our Washington, DC, bureau. All candidates should be prepared to work out of their nearest office regularly (either DC, NYC, or SF).

This is a one-year-long fellowship with full benefits. Our benefits include health, dental, and vision benefits for our employees and their dependents (premiums fully paid by CIR), paid vacation starting at three weeks per year, pretax commuter benefits and FSA and HSA programs, a flex-hours program, and a 37.5-hour workweek.

How to Apply

Please submit your application via our ADP application form. You'll need:

• A current résumé highlighting relevant experience

• A short cover letter explaining why you're a great fit for this role

• A portfolio or reel showcasing your recent relevant published articles or social media work. Please include a brief description of your role in each project.
  
  

Applications will no longer be accepted after May 12th, 2026.

Equal Employment Opportunity Disclosure
The Center for Investigative Reporting is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender presentation, identity, or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, veteran status, political affiliation, union activity, appearance, marital status, parental status, ancestry, AIDS/HIV status, genetic information, pregnancy or related conditions, reproductive health decision making, on-the-job injuries, or any status otherwise protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages and we especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities.

The terms of this job are covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with Local 2103, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, AFL-CIO.