News Reporter wanted (Santa Cruz, CA) | $250 to $350 per article
Added 2025-05-29 17:46:52 +0000 UTCCOMPANY/PUBLICATION: SANTA CRUZ LOCAL
Deadline: 1 July 2025
Santa Cruz Local is a local, online, member-supported news outlet that serves Santa Cruz County, California. As veteran newspaper reporters and editors, we founded Santa Cruz Local in 2019 to give residents a nonpartisan, fair and accurate source of local news. We produce a Sunday email newsletter and 3-5 in-depth news articles each week. Our team of six is a small but mighty group with experience in journalism, product development and community listening. We are collaborative, thoughtful and passionate about giving residents useful news and information.
THE CHALLENGE
We strive to produce deep, fair and accurate reporting about local government, housing, homelessness, health, the environment and other big issues in Santa Cruz County. We want to give Santa Cruz County residents the information and news that they tell us they need.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Our editorial team has assigned dozens of story ideas to our freelance reporters. Our stories are generally about local government, housing, homelessness, health and the environment in Santa Cruz County. We also assign coverage of city council meetings, school board meetings and other local government meetings and news events. We accept pitches on these topics, and it’s helpful if the event is more than one week or more from the pitch.
News stories generally range from 650 to 1,800 words. We do not pay by word count. Our pay is based on how much time and reporting we estimate the story to take. Pay is often $250 to $350 as of 2025, depending on whether the reporter submits photos and other factors.
Freelancers’ stories are edited and fact-checked by two experienced editors. We give feedback on wording, order, style and context. We usually have questions for reporters to address during the editing process. We believe that our careful, intensive editing process makes your work stronger. If you are relatively new to journalism, we might help you build your portfolio of published work.
REQUIREMENTS
Please provide news writing samples from professional or student publications. We want straightforward reporting, not opinions.
Must be 18 or older.
Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
Must be based in California.
Must be fluent in English, written and spoken.
You should have some familiarity with local government, housing, environment or health issues in Santa Cruz County.
PREFERRED, BUT NOT REQUIRED, QUALIFICATIONS
We prefer that you live in Santa Cruz County, but it is not required.
Fluency in Spanish is helpful.
Please apply even if you think you are not qualified. We have worked with many young journalists and helped improve their reporting and news writing. You do not need a journalism degree to apply.
APPLICATION AND HIRING PROCESS
Email a short story pitch to the editor at stephen@santacruzlocal.org or info@santacruzlocal.org.
Or fill out an online application. We accept applications on a rolling basis.
We aim to respond to every application.
Questions? Email or call Santa Cruz Local Editor and Co-founder Stephen Baxter, at stephen@santacruzlocal.org or 831-566-7334.
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CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):
Questions/submissions: stephen@santacruzlocal.org or info@santacruzlocal.org
Website: https://santacruzlocal.org/job-freelancer/
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