The arts and culture reporter will be a critical part of the Mirror Indy newsroom's reporting team and reports to the Managing Editor, Innovation. They will produce daily stories and enterprise features that dig deep into Indianapolis arts and culture, with a primary focus on the areas of the city that are often underrepresented or underserved.

They will cover topics including pop culture, music, visual art, performing art, film and other forms of human expression. Accountability journalism is important, as the arts and culture reporter will follow the money around local arts and culture organizations and report on how these organizations are led and funded, how the money is spent, how decisions are made, and how accessible the organizations are in reaching and welcoming different audiences.

Reporting will be responsive to the needs of the Mirror Indy audiences and reflect the beauty and vibrancy of arts and culture in different neighborhoods, and the role creatives play in shaping the city’s social and economic well-being.

The arts and culture reporter will have a lot of creative freedom to develop new and engaging ways, on multiple platforms, to chronicle the impact of arts and culture on Indianapolis. Video and audio storytelling skills are a plus. The reporter also will work with the arts and culture editor to plan events and experiences that foster personal connections between Indianapolis creatives and residents.

The arts and culture reporter also will work in close partnership with the Mirror Indy community journalism director to ensure that community input and priorities are integral to the news and information produced by this reporter.

• Produce a steady stream of arts and culture reporting that will serve Indianapolis residents as a primary source of information they need to understand how arts and culture influence their lives.
• Deliver a combination of day-to-day coverage and ambitious, high-impact and authoritative journalism that captures the creative voices of Indianapolis residents and helps make the arts more accessible to them.
• Develop a voice for our arts coverage that, when appropriate, is solutions-focused and inclusive of formats needed to make information accessible to all residents, including guides, explainers, and other service journalism that translates reporting from the newsroom into content that is useful and helps people access the arts.
• Work with the arts and culture editor and Managing Editor of Innovation to develop an editorial strategy for the beat and what will be prioritized, including producing content in multiple formats for different audiences.
• Work within a daily newsroom operation that is collaborative, relies on teamwork and centers on a community reporting program that partners with residents to help inform coverage priorities.
• Work collaboratively with other Mirror Indy reporters to report on issues that cross beats. Work with our art director, web producer and service reporter to make sure our content around the arts is visual and easy to understand for all our audiences.
• Collaborate and learn with the Mirror Indy Documenters; leverage the work of the Documenters, along with the newsroom’s community gathering spaces to make arts deeper, more personal and more grounded in community voices.
• Attend community-based arts events, community gatherings and other arts-related events to gather information for story ideas and research purposes.
• Develop a deep understanding of area arts and culture and use that knowledge to provide context for stories that localize these community assets.

Consider applying if you have some of these skill sets and traits:

• Experience in reporting on arts and culture from a community journalism perspective.
• Demonstrated commitment to local public service journalism with a track record of producing impactful reporting on multiple platforms.
• 2+ years experience in daily, local newsrooms, including internships.
• Strong understanding and knowledge of Indianapolis neighborhoods and communities is desired, but not required.
• Stellar news judgment and writing skills.
• Ability to work under deadlines and prioritize work.
• Adept at problem solving, detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills.
• Experience with and/or strong understanding of building digital audiences.
• Experience with and/or strong understanding of building iterative, digital content.
• Entrepreneurial spirit — you can thrive in a startup environment where you are expected to learn as you go, think in innovative ways and jump in when others need help.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends when needed.
• Strong interpersonal/communications skills — willingness to negotiate and talk through issues in an honest and clear manner.
• Ability to maintain confidence when working with sensitive information.
• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse group of individuals internal and external to the newsroom.
• Team player — helps others and is supportive.

A combination of education and experience may be considered.

• Salary: range is $55,000 to $80,000, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits: Full health benefits, including employee’s medical premium covered 100%; paid time off including two weeks of closures during the year for all staff, generous personal time policy, and a 401K with a 4% match.
• Training: $2,000 stipend toward outside training and professional development opportunities
• Hybrid role: Employee has the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays and is required to join the team in person at our Indianapolis office Tuesday-Thursday.

‍We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, veterans, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. Free Press Indiana, Mirror Indy's support organization, is dedicated to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. We encourage people of all races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to apply.

‍What to expect in the hiring process‍

We are looking to hire a person for this position in early 2025, though finalists might be contacted before the end of the year. Finalists will be asked to participate in two to three interviews and complete a written exercise. You will be paid an honorarium for completing the exercise.