"Lee Ester News Fellow"

Job Summary

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is hiring a newsroom fellow to join our team. The Lee Ester News Fellow will be in a 12-month position specifically for early-career journalists. The News Fellow will be a general assignment reporter responsible for producing daily news stories and, occasionally, feature-length material for radio and web audiences. The News Fellow will receive regular and concentrated coaching on writing, editing, voicing and other aspects of radio news reporting.

The Lee Ester News Fellow is based in our Milwaukee office and covers events and communities in southeast Wisconsin, the most populous and diverse area of the state.

This is a full-time, 40-hour-a-week position.

This position is expected to go through 7/31/2027. This fellowship typically runs from August through July, but there is some flexibility with start dates.

This is a hybrid position and will report to the Daily News Editor. This position will be headquartered in Milwaukee. The position will be expected to be onsite at least two days a week, final schedule will be determined upon hire.

Remote work requires an approved flexible work arrangement (FWA). A FWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee.

It is expected that employees will make individual arrangements for transportation adequate to meet position responsibilities and essential job functions. Information about UW-Madison Driver Authorization can be found at: http://businessservices.wisc.edu/managing-risk/driver-authorization-and-insurance/driver-authorization/

Key Job Responsibilities

• Applies editorial judgment and maintains industry standards of journalistic ethics and excellence
• Stays abreast of developments in assigned areas, maintains contacts on continued stories to ensure follow-up, and researches topic areas to provide in-depth reports
• Collaborates with digital content teams on both long-term and short-term multimedia projects
• Contributes content including interviewing sources, writing stories/reports, and completing other necessary production tasks to create news/public affairs reports

Department

Wisconsin Public Media, Wisconsin Public Radio, News Network – Newsroom

The Lee Ester Fellow is part of a team of Wisconsin Public Media journalists working to explain the state’s political and economic forces to the people of Wisconsin, so they can participate in civic life. We maintain the trust of Wisconsinites through rigorous reporting and well-crafted story-telling that sheds clarifying light on complex topics and holds public officials accountable. We explore the distinct nature of Wisconsin’s culture, history and natural environment. Through storytelling for and about the people of Wisconsin, we enrich and engage, helping our neighbors understand each other and the issues that shape our state.

PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio are part of Wisconsin Public Media. The person in this position will be required to comply with the Wisconsin Public Media Code of Ethics: http://wpm.wisc.edu/policies/, in addition to the UW-Madison code of ethics.

Compensation

The salary for the Lee Ester News Fellow will be $51,955 for the 12-month fellowship. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see: http://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Required Qualifications

• Previous news internship or up to 1 year of professional news experience.
• Demonstrated ability to generate news story ideas.
• Demonstrated ability to produce stories for the web.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to record and edit audio for news stories.
• Demonstrated ability to tell stories about diverse communities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous public media experience.

Education

A Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field is preferred.

How to Apply

Click the "Apply" button to start the application process. Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all of your documents in the attachment field, either as one combined document, or separate documents.

The following must be received for your application to be complete:
1) Resume
2) A cover letter describing how your experience relates to the listed required and preferred job qualifications.
3) A single document with samples or links to three daily news stories produced for broadcast and/or web. Samples should not have shared bylines and should include web and audio versions of stories when applicable.

Since this position is responsible for reporting and producing news stories for both radio and web audiences, close attention to detail is required. The writing sample material will be assessed for spelling and grammar.

Failure to follow these application instructions will result in applications receiving less competitive consideration.

We are eager to learn more about how your experience may align with this position. Please submit a cover letter referring to your related work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background. Please keep in mind your cover letter and/or resume should address your experience and how it relates to the position qualifications. The application reviews will be relying on written application materials to determine who may advance to the first round interviews.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

Finalists will be asked to provide a list of at least three professional references with titles, emails, and phone numbers (including at least one supervisory reference). Note that references will not be contacted without your prior knowledge.