Join the hundreds of talented and innovative team members who are making an impact every day at California Times, incorporating Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, two of the most iconic media brands in the nation. Whether you love to tell compelling stories or want to drive our award-winning powerhouse in new directions, the Los Angeles Times team is the place to be.

Job Description Summary

The debate over national immigration policy is of critical importance to California, home to the nation’s largest immigrant population but also the birthplace of modern immigration restriction politics. So too is the actual function and dysfunction of our current system, which has outsized impact on California businesses and families.

The successful candidate for this position will cover the policy debate and the ways the current system serves and fails to serve our nation. An understanding of immigrant communities and their stake in that debate is desirable, but the core of this job is coverage of policy and the institutions that set it. A proven ability to develop and cultivate sources in hard-to-penetrate bureaucracies is key, along with an ability to write fairly and evenhandedly about a topic that generates intense disagreements.

Applicants should have a strong ability to write clearly and with authority on complex topics, to develop interesting and insightful story ideas, to analyze federal and state data and pursue freedom of information requests and to handle deadline pressure in a fast-paced multimedia environment. The job requires extensive collaboration with reporters on the Metro and National staffs, so an ability to work on a team is key. Although this is primarily a writing position, we expect our reporters to be comfortable taking photos and basic smart-phone videos. Fluency in Spanish and other relevant languages is a plus.

Job Description

Requirements:

• A minimum of five years of reporting experience


• Impeccable journalistic instincts and an unimpeachable commitment to ethics


• Superior news judgment


• An understanding of the importance of accuracy and precision


• Bachelor’s degree or higher, or equivalent experience

The L.A. Times is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes expressions of interest from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our Careers Site.

The position is listed as Reporter in the Los Angeles Times Guild. Times staff is currently working remotely, but when we return to the newsroom this position will be based in Washington, D.C.

The Times requires that its employees who come to or work at a physical L.A. Times worksite be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, we will engage in the interactive process with you. Proof of vaccination will be required prior to entrance to a physical worksite. If we make you an offer and you are not yet vaccinated, we will accommodate a delay in start date.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and applicable clips to Washington Bureau Chief Kimbriell Kelly. In that cover letter, reporters should detail how they’d structure the beat and what types of stories they would pursue. Please note, the opportunity to attach additional documents appears on the third screen and is labeled “Upload.”

Thank you for your interest in joining our team at the Los Angeles Times!  We look forward to reviewing your application.