The Center for Public Integrity is looking for top-notch journalists to investigate the risk of corruption in their state governments. We’re hiring one reporter in each state to carry out a combination of research and reporting into state government ethics, transparency and accountability laws, and their enforcement. Your work will lead to nationally-distributed stories and state-by-state rankings of government accountability, complete with scorecards, grades and stories that demonstrate where states succeed and where they fail.

The State Integrity Investigation will rely on original, in-depth reporting and detailed data collection in each state to uncover areas of corruption risk in our statehouses. The project will cover a wide range of “integrity indicators,” including campaign finance laws, state budget processes, auditing capabilities, procurement practices, financial disclosure and more. Each reporter will gather data through a combination of research and interviews and then write an accompanying narrative on the findings in that state. Examples of state scorecards, categories and stories from our initial State Integrity Investigation in 2012 can be found atwww.stateintegrity.org.

Reporters will have to answer some 200-300 questions with specific, well-sourced data over the first two months of work. Reporters will work with partner organization Global Integrity to register and verify their research. They will be expected to meet rigorous standards for accuracy and sourcing based on methodology developed by Global Integrity. Reporters must be well-versed in the laws, procedures, and inner workings of their state government, and ideally maintain an extensive network of contacts and sources both in and outside of state government.

To apply, please upload a short cover letter, two or three clips and a resume with three references. Please direct all questions about the position and/or application to Nicholas Kusnetz, Project Manager at nkusnetz@publicintegrity.org. No phone calls please.

About the Project

The State Integrity Investigation is a collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. This new effort will refine and update a project first carried out in 2011-2012 (for more, see www.stateintegrity.org). At the time, the project represented the first in-depth, data-driven account of government transparency and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states, using on-the-ground reporting and data analysis. A list of detailed questions, or “integrity indicators” are answered through a combination of research and interviews with knowledgeable experts and used to generate scorecards for each state.

In the weeks following its launch, The State Integrity Investigation was featured in more than 1,100 print, online and broadcast outlets across the country. Since then, it has led to the adoption of new laws or statutes in seven states and proposals in five more. The project was a 2013 finalist for the Harvard’s Goldsmith Investigative Reporting Prize. A new round will allow states to measure any progress they have made, will raise the pressure for passage of reforms and will serve as a critical tool for state government reporters across the country.

http://publicintegrity.atsondemand.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=512612.viewjobdetail&CID=512612&JID=477425