Harvest Public Media is seeking an environmental and agriculture reporter to join our team at KCUR in Kansas City. This person should be eager to dive into issues around climate change, water quality and access, food production, as well as delving into the challenges facing rural communities.

We’re looking for a reporter with a keen curiosity, an interest in solutions reporting and the ability to find stories that connect listeners and readers across the region.

Harvest Public Media is a public radio collaboration based at KCUR in Kansas City with partners at six other public radio stations. We report on climate, environment, agriculture and rural issues throughout the Midwest and Great Plains, airing and publishing our stories in nine states. Our stories are often picked up by NPR.

KCUR 89.3 is the NPR affiliate in Kansas City and is an editorially independent community service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. See kcur.org/jobs for information about KCUR and Kansas City.

This reporter works with Harvest’s managing editor and Harvest’s team of reporters based at six other public radio stations including: St. Louis Public Radio, also in Missouri; Nebraska Public Media in Lincoln, Nebraska; Iowa Public Radio in Des Moines, Iowa; KOSU in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; WILL in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; and WNIJ in DeKalb, Illinois.

This reporter will produce in-depth and sound-rich audio, as well as engaging digital stories for an audience throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. It’s a beat that requires getting into the field — sometimes that means farm fields, into a researcher’s lab, or even a boat on the Missouri River.

Characteristic duties

• Produce in-depth audio and digital news stories regarding climate, environment, agriculture, and rural issues in Missouri, Kansas and the Midwest. Much of the reporter’s work will be distributed through Harvest Public Media to media partners across nine states.
• Interview sources with wide-ranging backgrounds across the region.
• Research and analyze data, issues and sources to properly fact check completeness, balance, and accuracy.
• Contribute spot and breaking news coverage to daily newscasts when issues arise for KCUR.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

Preferred qualifications

• Two years of work experience in a public media or news organization.
• At least one year experience in a related position.
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or a related field or equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this job.
• Ability to cover breaking news as well as report through long-form, innovative storytelling.
• Aggressive, enthusiastic, and self-motivated approach to daily news coverage.
• Excellent writing skills, proven news judgment, and journalistic integrity.
• Enthusiasm for the role of public media in a changing journalism environment.
• Ability to multitask and work on diverse projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
• Demonstrated ability to take direction and work collaboratively with various personalities.
• Ability and willingness to work a varied schedule, including weekends.
• Experience operating a variety of broadcast equipment including audio boards, digital editing systems (e.g. Adobe Audition), field recording units, and other production equipment.
• Experience producing content for the web and social platforms.
• Ability to perform a writing test as part of the interview process.
   

Anticipated hiring range

$50,367 - $56,000 per year commensurate on education, experience, and internal equity.

How to Apply

KCUR 89.3 is the NPR affiliate in Kansas City and is an editorially independent community service of the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Please apply online at UMKC's website: https://info.umkc.edu/hr/careers/ Select "Staff Position," then "View Jobs," then "View All Jobs." Review of applications to begin on March 21, 2024.