The National Catholic Reporter, the country's premier, fully independent, lay-run Catholic news organization, is hiring a staff reporter. The staff reporter reports to the news editor and works with other editors and members of the editorial team to cover the U.S. Catholic community at a critical time in the history of the church, the country and the world. This is a full-time position. The staff reporter may work remotely, or from NCR offices in Kansas City or Washington, D.C.
The NCR staff reporter will be expected to:
- Cover news and feature stories as assigned by editors on deadline and medium- and long-term projects, using journalistic skills to bring nuance to complex and difficult issues and to highlight unusual, thought-provoking angles on issues for and about the U.S. Catholic community.
- Suggest, develop and execute medium- and long-term stories and investigative projects, especially those at the nexus of church, faith, politics, and social issues and trends.
- Produce enterprise coverage of traditionally under-covered areas of the church, including Latino Catholics, Catholics of color and LGBT Catholics.
- Write occasional feature stories and participate in in-depth articles examining immigration, the environment for our EarthBeat page, as well as profiles, obituaries and essays for our food, sports and spirituality coverage.
- Bring and continue to cultivate a network of sources, especially within institutions such as national and state bishops' conferences, Catholic colleges and universities, parishes, Catholic research and advocacy groups that serve the poor, immigrants and those on the margins of society.
- Interact regularly on social media platforms that grow traffic and reach across generations.
- Occasionally represent the publication through speaking engagements, at conferences and through media appearances.
- Write occasional essays about faith, journalism and NCR for NCR membership newsletters
- Work from a home base or an NCR office and through pre-approved travel.
- Maintain high industry standards of accuracy, ethics, accountability and integrity
The suitable candidate will be expected to have:
- Bachelor's degree or higher.
- Minimum of three years of reporting experience.
- The ability to write clearly, accurately and quickly.
- Ability to explain complex ideas, concepts in plain language.
- Familiarity with professional standards and basic journalism norms, ethics, writing styles and project reporting
- Demonstrable knowledge of the Catholic Church, history and culture.
- Familiarity with Catholic communities in the United States; experience and knowledge of Washington, D.C., and/or immigrant communities in Southern California or the West Coast a plus.
- Excellent communication skills, including experience interviewing sources.
- Team-oriented, flexible, positive outlook and willingness to learn.
- Proven ability to self-motivate and work both independently and as part of a team.
- Experience in collaborating with other news organizations and journalists.
- Fluency in additional languages, especially Spanish, is a plus.
- Familiarity with database journalism and cutting-edge journalism skills and tools, such as use of large language modeling; experience in these areas a plus.
Compensation and benefits:
This remote position will be full-time, with the opportunity to work in person at NCR headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, or our Washington, D.C. office. Salary is commensurate with experience, location and other relevant factors, in the range of $50,000 to $70,000 annually. NCR offers the following generous benefits for full-time employees (employees working 24 hours or more per week):
- Health Insurance plan options (90% employer paid premium)
- Dental and Vision plan coverage (90% / 75% employer paid premium)
- Life Insurance and Long Term Disability
- Group Annuity Program (403B) with company match
- Supplemental Insurance option (Aflac)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Paid parental leave (up to 12 weeks)
- Generous paid vacation (up to 20 days per year)/sick/personal time, plus 11 paid holidays
- Flexibility for work/life integration; summer hours (Friday afternoons off between Memorial and Labor Days)
To apply:
Interested parties may submit application materials using this form: NCR Staff Reporter by Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Further information/instructions are included in the provided link. Inquiries may be directed to [email protected] (with the subject line: NCR Staff Reporter).
All communications will be treated confidentially. Application materials will be reviewed as they are received and subsequent steps in the hiring process will take place following the application deadline.
The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company is an equal opportunity employer, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Organizational overview:
The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company is a nonprofit, independent, lay-led news organization that reports on the Catholic Church and wider moral issues facing the human family. It publishes the National Catholic Reporter bimonthly in print and daily at NCRonline.org. It also publishes Global Sisters Report and EarthBeat online. These publications are committed to shaping a world that recognizes the sacredness and dignity of every human being, regardless of religious belief, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation. Throughout our history, NCR has been a voice for the voiceless, disadvantaged and marginalized. It strives to hold authority, secular or religious, accountable.