Criminal Justice Reporter, NBC News Digital

About the role

We're seeking a criminal justice reporter to join NBC News Digital.

This person will be responsible for several types of coverage

• Major cases, lawsuits and trials, such as the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni or the Diddy, Lindsey Clancy, and Luigi Mangione cases.
• True crime and emerging stories in the zeitgeist, such as new or resurgent scams like those targeting people looking for love online, scandals playing out on social media like the California church cheating storyline that resulted in a lawsuit.
• And national storylines of interest that intersect with the criminal justice system, such as the Cornell rape allegations and the history of Amy Acton's parents.

This reporter will know how to navigate court systems, obtain documents, and develop sources within police departments, prosecutors offices and criminal defense firms. Existing sourcing with attorneys and experience backgrounding people is essential. The ideal candidate will be deeply familiar with records databases and other tools to conduct deep research and find sources.

This person will know how to break news and chase distinct angles. They will travel as needed for story coverage. Strong writing skills are a must. An ideal week for this reporter will be producing a weekend read on an engaging crime-related storyline, reporting out a competitive article on daily deadline, and working on a longer-term original article.

The person will be comfortable thinking creatively about coverage and how to obtain revelatory and exclusive information that drives the story forward. They will know how to live blog a trial. They will make sure that the stories they're reporting have the best photos, videos and other elements to provide context to a reader as a story is developing and to make it as cross-platform as possible. Accuracy is paramount.

The person will work closely with colleagues across the NBC News network, and should feel comfortable discussing their reporting on air, streaming and in digital and social videos.

The role is based in New York City and is designated as hybrid, coming to the office four days a week. The reporter in this role will be expected to contribute to major news stories as they happen, which may require occasional night and weekend work.

This position is represented by the News Guild - NY CWA.

Responsibilities Include

• Following criminal justice and legal affairs news, pitching and reporting stories on the beat.
• Obtaining legal documents and public records, then going through them for news nuggets and reporting leads.
• Developing relationships with sources and breaking news on major storylines.
• Writing accurate, clean, engaging and fast copy.
• Effectively communicating and working collaboratively with a team of reporters and editors across the network.
• Making full use of the range of NBC News resources, including network newsgathering and multimedia.
• Sharing reporting with network partners.

Qualifications & Requirements

• At least 10 years of professional work experience.
• Must have the desire to work in a creative, demanding, competitive environment.
• Must be a skilled reporter with outstanding communication skills.
• Experience working in a digital-first newsroom or news environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure and operate on tight deadlines.

Additional Requirements

• Hybrid: This role is designated as hybrid reporting to the office a minimum of 4 days in office. The company reserves the right to change the in office requirement at any time.

Additional information

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website.