Correspondent, Justice Department

OVERVIEW

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Application Instructions

• Application Deadline: Friday, October 2nd at 12pm ET.

• Submission Instructions: Please submit a cover letter in addition to your resume, including related clips you are proud of.

Intro to Position

NPR’s award-winning Politics & Policy Desk delivers sophisticated, accessible coverage of the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, national security, and the intersection of technology and political power. Our journalism is grounded in original reporting, breaking news delivered with context, and clear explanatory storytelling. Our work reaches millions of listeners and readers daily across Morning Edition, All Things Considered, NPR.org, Up First, and the NPR Politics Podcast.

The Justice Department Correspondent leads NPR’s daily and enterprise coverage of the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement, and federal immigration jurisprudence and prosecutions. Based in Washington, D.C., this reporter is responsible for breaking significant news, cultivating institutional and frontline sources, and delivering analytical enterprise reporting that reveals how DOJ decisions impact governance, the rule of law, and communities across the country.

The Politics & Policy Desk operates across audio, digital, and visual platforms. The correspondent evaluates the optimal narrative format for each story-whether an investigative data analysis, a live two-way on broadcast newsmagazines, an episode of the NPR Politics Podcast, or an explanatory digital feature.

This is a union-represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA.

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff is defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.

Responsibilities

Reporting & Enterprise Journalism

• Pitches, reports, and produces high-impact daily news spots, contextual enterprise pieces, and investigative stories on the Department of Justice, immigration enforcement, and federal legal policy.
• Cultivates and maintains diverse, reliable source networks across government agencies, legal institutions, advocacy organizations, and impacted communities.
• Analyzes complex court filings, regulatory decisions, and legislative proposals to deliver accurate, timely explanatory journalism.

Multiplatform Collaboration & Production

• Delivers live, unscripted reporting and conversational analysis on NPR newsmagazines (Morning Edition, All Things Considered), breaking news specials, podcasts, and member station programming.
• Partners with desk editors, audio producers, and digital editors to package reporting effectively for broadcast, digital text, and multimedia platforms.
• Gathers audio in the field, conducts recorded interviews, and assists in the editorial editing and audio production of pieces under tight deadlines.

Editorial Standards & Administration

• Maintains absolute adherence to the NPR Ethics Handbook, legal standards, and factual accuracy guidelines across all platforms.
• Completes essential administrative duties accurately and punctually, including source documentation, program summaries, assignment coordination, and travel/expense filing.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications 

• At least 5 years of professional journalism experience reporting on complex legal, governmental, or regulatory affairs at a national or regional level.
• Demonstrated track record of reporting and writing accurate, contextual enterprise stories and breaking news on deadline.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain professional source networks across institutional, agency, and community settings.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple overlapping stories and shifting deadlines with editorial sound judgment.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively within a fast-moving newsroom team, showing consistent respect for colleagues, diverse perspectives, and public radio member stations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven beat-reporting experience covering the U.S. Department of Justice, federal courts, or federal immigration enforcement.
• Experience communicating complex policy, legal, or political topics clearly and conversationally for broadcast, podcast, or live audio formats.
• Established record of enterprise scoops and investigative reporting derived from original document analysis and agency sourcing.
• Experience producing multiplatform content, including digital written features, podcast appearances, and visual/social explainers.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Work Location & Requirements

• Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be in the office in Washington, D.C., or at an on-site reporting location at least 3 days a week. The employee must also reside in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia.

Job Type

• This is a full-time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range : The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $127,500 - $142,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Personal Service Contract (PSC) Eligibility: This role is eligible for a Personal Service Contract (PSC). A PSC is an individualized agreement between NPR and a SAG-AFTRA represented employee that provides enhanced base compensation and tailored employment terms. In exchange for this higher guaranteed pay and added flexibility, employees on a PSC waive eligibility for premium pay (such as holiday or travel premiums) and compensatory time that are otherwise provided under the SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement.

NPR Benefits: NPR provides comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Pay Range

$127,500—$142,000 USD

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal - to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to [email protected].

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