Big Local News is hiring a data journalist to work with our growing team and help local reporters use data to produce accountability journalism. We are a program of Stanford University’s Journalism and Democracy Initiative, and this person will join a small, award-winning group of journalists who gather datasets, build tools, and work with newsrooms to discover the patterns in data that lead to reporting with impact.

This is a two-year fixed-term position, with the possibility of renewal. The role is based at Stanford University, and we prefer candidates who can work in-person or hybrid. It is not a remote position.

Expectations for the role include:

  • Collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data in collaboration with newsrooms
  • Working with local journalists and students to identify and verify data useful for investigative reporting projects
  • Managing community outreach and listening through our social media accounts and at journalism events

We are seeking applicants who have programming, data analysis, and journalism skills. We welcome recent graduates. We have a variety of needs and encourage applications from people with back-end programming experience, front-end design skills, and/ore data analysis/data story chops.

You can apply for the job here—this role is listed in the Stanford system as a data analyst. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Big Local News Managing Director Ryan Pitts.

More about Big Local News

Too many datasets are hard to use because they’re kept in disparate, scattered locations by multiple jurisdictions. It’s too hard to access public records about policing, public health, government, and other vital topics.

Big Local News works with local journalists to solve these problems, developing tools that make it easier to discover important stories and lower the cost of accountability journalism through better use of data and algorithms. We help newsrooms process, analyze, and archive data, and create trainings and documentation that allow other newsrooms to replicate important projects in other communities. Our platform at biglocalnews.org allows journalists—freelancers, small outlets, and collaborative partnerships alike—to share data and work together as they report out stories.

Our work is journalist-driven and transformative, increasing the capacity of local newsrooms to produce journalism that changes policy and creates impact. You can read more about our recent work here and here.