The Role

The LA Local is looking for a reporter to cover the Koreatown, Pico Union and Westlake areas, serving the neighborhoods with high-quality news that connects neighbors, celebrates local people and culture and holds local government accountable to better outcomes for residents.

We are seeking a tenacious and experienced reporter who is committed to strengthening the community by providing daily public service journalism. The reporter will produce general assignment stories, which could include quick-turn breaking news, community member profiles, “explainer” pieces on how local government works, information-resource posts, as well as other features and investigations. The reporter will understand how to collaborate with their colleagues and tell complex stories from the perspective of the people living in the neighborhoods we cover. 

Inspired by our publication Boyle Heights Beat, which produces trusted community news for the Eastside, our ethos is news and information “for and by the community,” so community engagement will be core to your work. You will work with a local editor to set local reporting agendas, identify key themes and areas that need further investigation, and collaborate with other reporters, editors and producers in the newsroom to package your reporting in formats that are best received by residents of your coverage area. In addition, you will work with a community engagement team to host and facilitate local community events, develop relevant local stories out of our LA Documenters program, which trains and pays residents to cover public meetings, and work with local students enrolled in our high school journalism program.

If you thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment, we want to hear from you!

The Organization

The LA Local is a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing local journalism in Los Angeles. We’re building a new model for community-focused news that connects neighborhood-level reporting with broader regional issues. Our approach combines dedicated community newsrooms with a central hub that amplifies local stories, identifies cross-community trends, and produces region-wide coverage that matters to all Angelenos.

Our values

Free, Independent Local Press: We believe all Angelenos deserve to have a source of unbiased information that equips them to thrive in their daily lives. Our work will meet high journalism standards, be independent, non-partisan, and free to access. We’ll prioritize reaching as many Angelenos as possible, in the most effective ways possible.

Community-first: We center the needs of local communities, with an ultimate goal to strengthen communities and make LA work better for Angelenos. Journalism should be focused on serving people most affected by the subject matter, and equipping them to take action.

Equity & Inclusion: We need a representative, equitable, and inclusive local press. Newsrooms should be representative of the communities they cover, shift narratives to be centered on community perspectives, and provide pathways into newsgathering for residents.

Trust: We believe that building trust must be a core principle of our journalism. As a baseline, the journalism we support must be accurate, independent, unbiased, non-partisan, and a trusted source of shared facts by the communities we serve.

Key responsibilities

Reporting and Content Creation
  • Report and write several stories per week, including breaking news, in-depth features, and service-oriented pieces
  • Attend and report on local government meetings and other community gatherings
  • Tell stories from the field through video or still images
  • Contribute to and maintain editorial planning calendars
  • Cultivate sources throughout the wider community
  • Serve as an accessible, leading source of information for Koreatown, Pico Union, and Westlake residents
  • Communicate with residents, officials, and other sources to understand the broader issues that other news outlets are not reporting
  • Write with authority, speed, clarity, and accuracy
  • Fact-check articles across various formats, including features, news stories, and analysis pieces
  • Demonstrate excellent time-management skills and journalistic rigor when meeting tight deadlines
  • Collaborate with the community engagement and audience teams to find creative ways to reach and serve as many parts of the community as possible, including through live events and other in-person engagements, text services, and email newsletters
  • Collaborate with the editorial team to help shape the overall content strategy and tone in pursuit of public service and audience growth during this time of significant expansion for our publication
  • Help uphold ethical journalism standards and ensure all content adheres to the publication’s guidelines
  • Represent The LA Local at community and industry events, panels, and public speaking opportunities as needed
  • Collaborate with high school reporters and provide guidance as needed
  • Act as a resource for other team members, fostering a collaborative and supportive newsroom environment while modeling source development, source management, story pitching, and time management
Required Qualifications
  • At least five years of reporting experience
  • A track record of producing high-quality journalism, ideally in a daily local newsroom environment
  • Experience producing community-oriented journalism in multiple story formats that different audiences respond to
  • Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills
  • A commitment to ethical, accurate, and inclusive local reporting: You know how to build and maintain relationships with sources, are a thorough researcher and fact-checker, and a sharp interviewer
  • Ability to pitch compelling, relevant, and achievable story ideas that align with our mission, both verbally and in writing
  • Knowledge of AP style
  • Ability to take photos and videos from the field
  • A solid understanding of how to obtain and use public records
  • Ability to work under tight deadlines while managing multiple projects
  • Familiarity with social media platforms and experience using them as tools to monitor news, develop sources and distribute your work
  • The ability to synthesize and present complex information in a highly accessible, engaging and clear manner for a wide range of audiences
Preferred Qualifications
  • Personal connection to Koreatown, Pico Union, or Westlake
  • Fluency in Spanish or Korean
  • Familiarity with digital content management and audience analytics tools
  • Experience shooting with a phone or small camera
  • Understanding of SEO (search engine optimization) principles and social media platforms
  • Demonstrated experience in any of the following:
    • Community engagement
    • Data-driven reporting
    • Multimedia storytelling
  • Experience with WordPress or other content management systems

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, ranging from $70,000 to $85,000. Salaries reflect our compensation philosophy of market competitiveness and pay equity. All candidates receive a first and best offer in line with our market, recognizing their education, training, years of experience, and level of expertise.

We are committed to providing employees with a comprehensive benefits package that ensures staff have access to quality and affordable healthcare, can save for the future, and can find time to recharge.

The following benefits are provided to all regular full-time staff who work at least 35 hours per week.

  • Paid Holidays: 14 paid holidays per year, plus the weekdays between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (varies by year).
  • Paid vacation: 16 days of paid vacation leave your first year and an additional day each year until your fifth year. 
  • Sick Leave: 9 days of paid sick leave each year
  • Medical, dental, and vision benefits: The LA Local offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance  plans for full-time and part-time regular employees who work at least 20 hours per week. Part of our commitment to our employees’ health and well-being is ensuring that they have access to quality health care; therefore we cover 100  percent of health, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and 50% for their dependents.  
  • Supplemental services:
    • One Medical: Employees and their dependents get free membership to the national  leader in technology-enabled, on-demand primary care.
    • Teladoc: Employees receive access to 24/7/365 quality medical care via video, phone, or mobile app.
    • Health Advocate: Employees have an advocate in their health care from negotiating  down medical bills to speaking with a trained counselor for mental health support to much more.
    • Talkspace: Connect with a therapist with one live video visit each month and unlimited messages between visits.
  • Life insurance:  The LA Local provides full-time and part-time regular employees with basic life and accidental death and dismemberment insurances equal to the employee’s annual salary, up to $100,000. Employees also have the option of purchasing additional supplemental life insurance. 
  • Disability insurance: The LA Local covers 60% of pre-disability earnings, up to $1,500 per week. We also offer long-term disability after a 180-day waiting period at 60% of monthly pre-disability earnings, up to $5,000 per month.
  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA): We provide Flexible Spending Accounts (for eligible medical and child care expenses) and we will cover the administrative management fees on these offerings. 
  • Retirement Plan: We offer a 401(k) with the company matching up to 5% of your salary. If you work at least 20 hours a week, you can start contributing 30 days after you’re hired.
  • Mobile phone and home Wi-Fi reimbursement:  $80 every month to help cover your phone and internet costs.
  • Wellness reimbursement: The LA Local offers full-time and part-time regular employees who work at least 20 hours per week an annual $100 reimbursement for wellness costs. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Indigenous people, veterans, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. The LA Local is dedicated to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. We encourage people of all races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to apply.

Apply Here