Who we are as an organization:
WBUR is Boston’s NPR affiliate and a public media leader, producing exceptional journalism on-air, online, on demand and in real life. Our mission is to provide high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection and community for an expanding circle of people. WBUR is a member-supported nonprofit and provides its journalism to the public for free, with no paywall or subscription. Our broadcast license is held by Boston University.
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Employees at WBUR are a team of professionals who value truth, diverse perspectives and candid debate, creating a culture of mutual respect, passion and belonging.We’ve got exciting plans to keep innovating and building WBUR for the future. We’re growing. And you’ll grow too.
About WBUR’s Education team:
WBUR’s education team consists of two reporters and an editor. We cover the education landscape in Greater Boston with in-depth enterprise reporting as well as daily news and stories that keep our community informed. Our coverage appears on air in Morning Edition, Radio Boston and All Things Considered, on wbur.org, on WBUR’s local daily podcast The Common, in our newsletters, as well as occasionally on stage at CitySpace, WBUR’s community event venue.
We strive to produce stories that have a particular focus on underrepresented and marginalized communities. We aim to go beneath the surface with original, accountability-driven and narrative pieces. Our reporting has covered such topics as systemic challenges facing Boston Public Schools; the high cost of child care in Massachusetts; the teacher diversity gap in K-12 schools; the impact of changing admissions standards in Boston's exam schools and colleges and universities; and transportation solutions tried out by Mass. school districts.
Required Skills
What are we looking for in the Education Reporting fellow?
We are looking for an ambitious, inquisitive and self-starting fellow with excellent writing and reporting skills who wants to work on impactful education stories affecting Massachusetts’ communities. Responsibilities will consist of filing shorter pieces for air and online – including breaking news – and reporting longer features. You will work alongside the education team and be expected to generate and pitch story ideas.
An excitement about WBUR’s mission to provide an essential public good: high-quality local journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection and community.
A commitment to journalism fundamentals, including accuracy, fairness, respect, honesty and independence on air and online (See WBUR’s ethics guidelines).
What can we offer you?
- Compensation is $5,000/month along with healthcare and other Boston University benefits
- The opportunity to work onsite in WBUR’s newsroom and conduct in-person reporting in Greater Boston
- Training on the newsroom’s digital publishing platform and content management system. You will also learn how to record and edit broadcast-quality audio
- Practical experience pitching stories, covering breaking news, filing stories for web and audio with potential to appear as a guest on local WBUR programs to discuss stories
- Access to experienced journalists and senior team members with opportunities for mentoring, training and professional development
Fellowship and application details
The fellowship is open to candidates who have recently received – or are about to receive – an undergraduate or graduate degree or who have recently embarked on a career in journalism.
WBUR is a hybrid newsroom that offers remote work flexibility, though the fellow will need to be based in Greater Boston or be willing to relocate here.
What your application should include
- A cover letter explaining why you want to work at WBUR and as an education reporting fellow, what you hope to achieve in the fellowship, and a description of your interest or experience covering underrepresented voices and issues in journalism
- A resume
- Three writing clips
- Two references and contact information
In an ongoing effort to enrich our organizational culture, WBUR is committed to building a staff and leadership team that reflects the diversity of our city, region and nation.
If you are excited by this opportunity and have a passion for our mission — whether you meet some or all of our criteria — we want to talk to you.
Please note this fellowship is distinct from the WBUR newsroom fellowship.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
Required Experience
