Climate and Environment Reporter

The Sacramento Bee is seeking an aggressive and versatile climate and environment reporter to join our dynamic newsroom. This key reporting role requires a journalist who can break news on a competitive beat and deliver compelling stories about the local impacts of climate change that Northern California residents are experiencing in real time. The successful candidate will also be the go-to journalist for chronicling climate and environmental policy debates in the state Capitol.

In this role, the reporter will cover a wide range of topics related to climate and the environment, focusing on how these issues affect the daily lives of residents in Sacramento and Northern California. The reporter will explore the high-stakes road to climate change adaptation in California, examining the effects on health, infrastructure and the economy. This reporter will delve into extreme weather events, energy transitions, transportation issues and water management policy, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and solutions.

This reporter should prioritize accountability and solutions journalism, holding the powerful to account on climate and environmental issues while providing readers the information they need to make decisions about their lives.

The Bee’s climate and environment reporter will be expected to juggle breaking news stories and in-depth enterprise stories, delivering a mix of daily stories, trend coverage, explanatory pieces, solutions journalism and accountability/investigative work. The ability to see the story that matters to readers is essential on this beat, and this journalist will need to maintain a strong pipeline of stories that reflect a wide range of coverage and ambitions, including quick-turn stories and deeper dives.

McClatchy Media’s journalists are expected to take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage artificial intelligence and other automation to enhance and elevate their work and to find efficiencies that free them to focus on source-building and high quality, deeply reported journalism.

Responsibilities:

• Cover breaking news and enterprise stories with urgency and accuracy.
• Consistently break news.
• Collaborate with visual, data and audience teams to enhance storytelling through multimedia elements.
• Balance quick-turn news coverage with deeply reported enterprise pieces.
• Represent The Sacramento Bee in community events or live journalism initiatives.
• Think about audience first and always, with a commitment to tactics that grow readership.

What you’ll bring:

• The ability to make complex topics accessible and useful to readers
• Experience juggling a mix of daily stories and deeper dives, balancing breaking news with in-depth enterprise reporting
• Strong writing skills, excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to see the story that is going to matter to readers
• Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
• Ability to build source networks and bring a consistent flow of story ideas.
• Proficiency in data journalism and a strong interest in climate and environmental issues
• A track record for innovation, learning and using new skills and technologies, especially AI 

Skills and Qualifications:

The successful candidate should meet many, though not necessarily all, of the following requirements:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional reporting experience, including some experience covering climate and environmental issues
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced newsroom environment while meeting deadlines
• A focus on delivering climate and environmental news coverage that is first and best in a competitive media market
• Fluency in digital storytelling and social media
• The ability to develop and pitch a steady stream of story ideas
• Understanding of readership metrics and SEO best practices
• A collaborative spirit, the ability to work well in a team environment and strong interpersonal skills
• College degree or equivalent work experience

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $72,000 and $90,000 annually. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience and relevant education.

To apply, please include a cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

What We’ll Bring:

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on well-being and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage