Deadline: November 15, 2021.

The Grist Fellowship Program is a paid opportunity to hone your skills at a national news outlet and deepen your understanding of environmental issues. The experience is designed to give early-career journalists with a demonstrated interest in environmental issues the experience to succeed in climate and environmental media. We offer real-world experience at a fast-paced news site, training in a variety of skills key to a journalism career, and exposure to the leading sustainability thinkers and theories of our time.

Grist is seeking an Environmental Justice Fellow to join our Editorial team. This fellowship will run for six months, beginning Jan 31, 2022. The fellow will report to the articles editor.

With the mentorship and support of Grist’s editorial staff, the environmental justice fellow will report on the connections between social inequality and the environment. You will explore the ways in which the environmental movement can become more inclusive, especially in the current moment — and how communities of color are developing new ways to fight for cleaner air and water and safer neighborhoods. We’re especially interested in journalism that identifies communities and people working on homegrown solutions.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify and pitch ideas for stories that look at the effects of climate change and pollution on marginalized communities — as well as what those communities are doing to protect themselves
• Write multiple stories — quick news or analysis pieces — each week
• Other duties, like research, web production, and fact-checking, may be assigned from time to time
• Pitch and write one enterprise/feature story in the second half of your fellowship
• Contribute periodically to larger projects

ELIGIBILITY

• Four-year degree, or equivalent professional experience
• Strong understanding of Grist’s brand
• Demonstrated familiarity with environmental and climate justice
• Demonstrated experience in research or reporting
• Demonstrated comfort with writing on deadline
• Ability to make a full-time, six-month commitment

BENEFITS

• This fellowship is a paid, six-month opportunity ($3334/month) for early-career journalists
• Fellows are eligible for Grist health benefits coverage, including medical, vision, and dental
• Fellows come away with six months of solid newsroom experience, a body of clips, and fluency in climate and environmental justice issues
• Fellows across Grist meet regularly as a cohort with members of the editorial staff to develop skills and content knowledge specific to climate journalism
• Through our Newsroom Training Series, fellows are also trained on a range of crucial skills, from filing FOIA requests to audio/video script-writing
• Fellows benefit from full integration into the workings of a busy and exciting nonprofit media organization

APPLICATION

Applicants must submit the following application materials.  Applications without both a resume and cover letter will not be considered.  

1. Resume
2. Cover letter, including links to two writing samples. We are looking for a succinct, thoughtful cover letter that explains what you think are the most important environmental news and politics topics and stories to follow in the next six months — and why you’re the right person to cover them for Grist. Please also include links to two writing samples within your cover letter (or alternatively, append them to the end of your cover letter).

OFFICIAL LINK