Professor of Practice and Investigative ReporterEditor

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University seeks an experienced investigative journalist to join the launch team of The Beam a new statewide accountability reporting initiative.

The Beam is a new Arizona-focused multi-platform investigative journalism project based inside the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. It will produce a mix of high-impact quick-turn accountability stories along with longform investigations that merge the resources of a public university school with those of local investigative nonprofits. The Beam will produce accountability stories across a range of topics important to Arizona such as education health technology immigration and business. Stories will be produced in partnership with students and professional collaborators and distributed through broadcast digital and emerging platforms.

The investigative reporter/editor will primarily work as a journalist in residence at the Cronkite School. As a member of faculty the investigations reporter/editor will also teach at the Cronkite School as a Professor of Practice.

The ideal candidate will drive high-impact original reporting for The Beam edit and coach student interns and work with journalist collaborators inside newsrooms across Arizona including those inside the Cronkite School. The candidate should demonstrate expertise in multiplatform storytelling (including video) and have an understanding of how to publish and promote investigative journalism in ways that meet audiences where they are.

This is a full-time benefits-eligible 12-month (not academic year) faculty appointment on ASUs Downtown Phoenix Campus; this position is grant-funded and not a tenure-track appointment.

Essential Functions:

Lead The Beams multimedia reporting team on both quicker-turn and major investigative stories including those produced for video and digital outlets

Develop investigative projects that spotlight issues of significance to Arizona proposing actionable solutions where appropriate

Oversee reporters on beat development records acquisition and story development

Edit stories as assigned

Collaborate with data journalists visual journalists and audience engagement specialists

Engage with legal teams and Howard Center leadership on fact-checking to ensure fair and accurate reporting

Edit broadcast digital and multimedia investigations for publication across partner outlets

Engage Arizona communities and media outlets to extend story reach and relevance

Build inclusive newsroom environments and mentor emerging talent from various backgrounds

Perform Cronkite School service such as committee participation outreach or contest judging

Teach lower- upper- or graduate-level journalism classes in media skills and other duties as assigned.

About The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the Cronkite School is a groundbreaking journalism program that advances deeply researched watchdog journalism. The Howard Center supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation focuses on training the next generation of reporters through hands-on investigative journalism projects. Students work side by side with faculty in the Howard Center uncovering researching and publishing stories of significant importance many of which have won national and regional awards.

Top-performing graduate and undergraduate students produce national and regional investigations in partnership with professional news outlets across the country. Howard Center alumni have gone on to careers on investigative teams at the most respected newsrooms in the country including The Associated Press the Center for Investigative Reporting Dallas Morning News Houston Chronicle International Consortium for Investigative Journalism Inside Climate News NPR OpenSecrets PBS NewsHour and Univision.

Investigative Journalism at the Cronkite School

The Cronkite School has a deep tradition of award-winning investigative addition to the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism the school hosts the Carnegie-Knight News21 Reporting Initiative and the nations first masters degree in investigative journalism. Investigative journalism produced by Cronkite School newsrooms have earned top honors from Investigative Reporters and Editors Robert F. Kennedy Awards the Online News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists among others. The Cronkite School is also the only school to ever win an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award or the Robert F. Kennedy Grand Prize.

About the Cronkite School

The Cronkite School is widely recognized as the nations premier mass communication school. Rooted in the time-honored values that characterize its namesakeaccuracy responsibility integritythe school fosters excellence and ethics among students as they master the professional skills required to succeed in the digital media world of today and tomorrow.

Based on ASUs Downtown Phoenix campus in the heart of the nations fifth-largest city the School is known for its hands-on teaching hospital approach to learning led by a faculty composed of Pulitzer Prize-winning professional journalists strategic communications leaders and world-class media scholars. More than 2500 undergraduate masters and doctoral students regularly lead the country in national competitions as they prepare for careers in journalism PR marketing strategic media and related communication fields.

About Arizona State University

Arizona State University ranked the No. 1 Most Innovative School in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 10 years in succession has forged the model for a New American University. Repeatedly ranked No. 1 ASU has topped more than 20 lists in the last three years: No. 1 in the U.S. for global impact (Times Higher Education) and No. 1 in the U.S. for sustainable practices (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). ASU is a comprehensive public research institution measured not by whom it excludes but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic social cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU operates on the principles that learning is a personal and original journey for each student; that they thrive on experience and that the process of discovery cannot be bound by traditional academic disciplines. Through innovation and a commitment to accessibility ASU has drawn pioneering researchers to its faculty even as it expands opportunities for qualified students attracting some of the highest-quality students from all 50 states and more than 130 nations.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelors degree in Journalism or related field

At least 10 years of experience in investigative journalism or equivalent work with a track record in team leadership and project management.

Desired Qualifications:

Demonstrated success leading investigative projects that have driven change or advanced public understanding

Experience with both quick-turn enterprise and deep-dive investigations

Professional experience reporting and editing for both television and digital platforms

Strong visual and storytelling instincts with an ability to coach across formats

Demonstrated success with innovative storytelling and audience engagement on emerging platforms like TikTok Instagram and YouTube

A strategic mindset for audience-first journalism deployment not limited to legacy media

Significant experience in fact-checking ethical journalism and collaborating with legal teams to ensure stories are thoroughly vetted and defensible

Experience mentoring reporters or teaching in a professional or academic setting

Proficiency in multiple languages is highly valued to enhance our teams ability to engage with multicultural communities

Graduate degree in journalism media or a related field is preferred but with significant professional experience is not required