Job Description

City Cast DC is hiring an ambitious, creative Data Reporter to uncover surprising truths about life in the nation’s capital. This role is the first of its kind at City Cast — our ideal candidate will help us shape this role and the future of data journalism at City Cast DC. 

In this role, you’ll dig into publicly available datasets across DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia to surface hidden patterns, explain complicated systems, and create practical resources for our audience. You might analyze crime trends, housing data, 311 complaints, traffic patterns, restaurant inspections, budgets, property tax records, or election returns and turn them into clear reporting, interactive databases, searchable tools, or visual explainers.

You will likely use AI-powered tools, including platforms like Claude Code, to sift through large data sources, identify insights, build workflows, and help prototype user-facing databases or interfaces.

In addition to publishing data-driven stories and graphics in our newsletters, you’ll regularly discuss your findings on the City Cast DC podcast and create social content that translates charts, findings, and numbers in compelling, digestible ways. You’ll also partner with other beat reporters on any data-driven projects. You’ll have the autonomy to pursue meaningful work, backed by a staff that values usefulness, delight, and accountability.

The ideal candidate is collaborative and intellectually curious — someone who sees spreadsheets as story prompts and believes great local journalism can be both rigorous and joyful.

Application Due: May 1

What You’ll Do

• Identify and analyze publicly available data from DC and surrounding jurisdictions to uncover impactful stories and actionable insights.
• Use AI tools and coding platforms (e.g., Claude Code or similar) to clean, analyze, and interrogate datasets, and to prototype user-facing interfaces.
• Pitch, report, and write original data-driven stories that reflect what DC residents are talking about — and what they should be talking about next. 
• Build useful reader-facing tools — such as searchable databases, maps, explainers, or trackers — that make local systems more transparent and accessible.
• Contribute regularly to the City Cast DC podcast, explaining findings in plain language while bringing personality and curiosity to the conversation.
• Create visual and social assets that extend the reach of your reporting and make data engaging.
• Help grow support for the City Cast DC Neighbors membership program, including pitching during campaigns.
  

What You Bring

• A deep curiosity about DC and an appreciation for the region’s complexity, politics, bureaucracy, and neighborhoods.
• Experience working with data — including sourcing, cleaning, analyzing, and verifying datasets. Comfort using spreadsheets, basic coding tools, and AI-assisted data workflows.
• Strong writing skills with a voice that is confident, human, and engaging and the ability to clearly explain dense or technical information.
• Experience working in a deadline-driven editorial environment.
• Enthusiasm for helping audiences understand systems that affect their daily lives — housing, schools, traffic, taxes, safety, and more.
• A solutions-oriented mindset that sees journalism not just as storytelling, but as service.
• Willingness to experiment as we build the future of City Cast DC

Bonus but not required:

• Experience building simple user interfaces or reader tools.
• Familiarity with local government data and civic tech communities.
• Comfort speaking on mic and contributing meaningfully to podcast conversations.

Benefits

The Data Reporter will report to the Managing Editor of City Cast DC. This position is full-time, with excellent benefits. The annual salary range is $80,000–$110,000 depending on experience. You must be local, though work will be primarily remote.

City Cast is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity, which involves attracting talented people from diverse backgrounds and traditions. Read about our mission and core values here. We encourage everyone to apply.

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