Reporter for The 51st

Location: Remote, but must live in Washington, D.C., region
Status: Full-time, with benefits
Salary: $85,000 - $96,000, based on experience
Work hours: 35 hours/week

About The 51st

The 51st is a worker-led, nonprofit local news source for D.C. We pursue stories that hold leaders accountable, demystify opaque city and civic processes, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make us proud to call D.C. home. Put simply, our mission is to make it easier — and more fun — to live in the District.

Who you’ll work with 

We’re a small but mighty team of editors who work closely to produce thoughtful, accessible, and current news for D.C. residents. We’ve got a startup vibe — everyone wears a few hats, and we trust each other to take the lead when it makes sense. We care a lot about doing great work, but we’re also big on setting boundaries and avoiding burnout. Collaboration, independence, and respect keep our operation running. 

Position Summary

The reporter is an editorial position at The 51st, responsible for reporting, writing, and occasionally editing news stories for the website and newsletter. This position also has the opportunity to include governance decision-making and long-term organizational planning, if the employee chooses to join the worker board after a probational period.

This is a hands-on role, ideal for a creative, organized, and community-rooted journalist who can balance day-to-day editorial duties with minimal supervision.

Key Responsibilities

Editorial Committee Participation 

• Attend virtual weekly editorial meetings.
• Attend monthly long-term editorial strategy meetings. 
• Keep up with current events and local happenings.
• Pitch story ideas aligned with The 51st's mission and editorial goals.
• Contribute to brainstorming and developing stories from other writers.
• Identify improvements for editorial operations, internal systems, processes, and documents.

Content Creation

• Write 2 - 3 news articles, explainers, feature stories, and accountability pieces, among other content each week.
• Ensure stories reflects The 51st's values, voice, community-focused priorities, and strategic goals.
• Create social media descriptions for each article written.
• Upload and format content in CMS (Ghost). 
• Write weekly newsletter at least once per month
• Occasionally review, fact-check, or edit articles from freelancers and staff writers. 

Worker-board Responsibilities 

• Attend worker board meetings and retreats.
• Co-create and vote on governance decisions, long-term editorial initiatives, and budgeting and finance decisions.
• Co-create and uphold systems for accountability, conflict resolution, and equitable participation across the organization.
• Contribute to a newsroom culture that prioritizes collaboration, accountability, transparency, belonging, and editorial excellence.

Qualifications

• At least three years of experience in print journalism
• Proven experience producing digital-first content.
• Exceptional writing, with a strong sense of voice, tone, and local relevance.
• Proficient editing skills. 
• Demonstrated commitment to community-driven journalism and equity-centered practices.
• Comfortable working with tools like Ghost, Airtable, Google Suite, or other basic design or publishing platforms. 

Most importantly, we’re looking for a strong reporter and writer, but if you don’t check every single box, please don’t hesitate to apply. If this role excites you and you think you’d be a good fit, we’d love to hear from you.

To apply, send your resume, a brief statement of interest, and up to three clips of published stories you’ve written to hello@51st.news by April 20, 2026.