Berkeleyside is looking for a tenacious, versatile and seasoned reporter to cover UC Berkeley and higher education in the East Bay.
While the UC system is well covered by statewide reporters, no other media outlet has a beat principally focused on Cal.
This is a chance to do groundbreaking enterprise and accountability reporting focused on one of the world’s preeminent research universities — an institution that’s often a lightning rod in national debates over higher education. You’ll also report on the four campuses of Peralta Community College District, Northeastern University Oakland (formerly Mills College) and West Contra Costa College. And the beat will include some general assignment reporting on Berkeley and Alameda County.
This is a two-year position being offered in partnership with Open Campus, a national nonprofit newsroom creating a network of local reporters dedicated to covering higher education. The reporter on this beat will have the opportunity to collaborate with Open Campus editors with higher education expertise, and to work alongside a cohort of higher ed reporters at outlets across the country.
Berkeleyside has a track record of top-notch reporting on UC Berkeley, mainly focused on town-gown relations, challenges in reversing the university’s historic under-production of student housing, development at long-contested People’s Park, large-scale labor disputes, campus protests and battles over free speech. But over our 16 years, we have long wished for the capacity to cover the university on our doorstep in greater depth.
Today, higher education is facing existential danger in the United States, and you will investigate how threats from the Trump administration — to the funding and independence of Cal, which gets about $1 billion annually in federal funds, as well as to the East Bay’s community colleges — will affect research, students, faculty and local communities.
You’ll also report on the important role local colleges play, including for education equity, and examine whether they’re succeeding as engines of economic mobility for low-income students. And you’ll use as context the challenges facing the broader UC system, including hiring freezes, a narrowing state budget, inflation and union contract negotiations, to pursue stories laser-focused on Berkeley and the East Bay.
You will join an award-winning, four-person, unionized newsroom that’s been going strong since 2009. Dedicated to nuanced storytelling and ethical practices, Berkeleyside is recognized as a national leader in the field of sustainable nonprofit journalism. It has upward of 2.5 million visitors per year, over 27,000 newsletter subscribers, tens of thousands of social media followers and robust financial support from thousands of readers. Berkeleyside is published by the nonprofit news organization Cityside Journalism Initiative, which also runs sister sites The Oaklandside and Richmondside.
The higher education reporter will report to Berkeleyside Editor-in-Chief Zac Farber, an experienced editor who has been on the newsroom’s leadership team since 2021 and is highly regarded for his newsroom management, editorial strategy skills and for coaching reporters through complex, hard-hitting stories.
The job is based in the East Bay. Berkeleyside uses co-working spaces in Berkeley and Oakland. We have a hybrid work schedule, with some in-office hours required.
Take the lead on developing and executing a compelling strategic vision for the higher education beat
Report and write about three stories a week, including breaking news, in-depth features and enterprise and accountability stories
Stay up-to-date on higher education trends, policy decisions and academic research
Cultivate sources on the higher education beat and in the community
Pitch compelling, relevant and doable story ideas that are on mission
Write with authority, speed, clarity and accuracy
Display excellent time-management skills and journalistic rigor when working on a tight deadline, and meet deadlines
Be an accessible, leading source of information on your beat
Explore with the team other ways to reach and inform people, such as newsletters, community events and text services
Benefits and compensation
The salary for this position is $76,491-$98,185, depending on experience and in alignment with Cityside’s compensation structure and our collective bargaining agreement
$1,000 a year in professional development stipend
Cityside pays for 75% of your health insurance premium and provides options for both Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente medical plans. Coverage includes dental and vision plans from Guardian.
401(k) retirement plan with up to a 3% company match after 3 months of employment, and up to a 4% company match starting in 2026
20 paid vacation days
18 paid sick days
13 paid holidays
End-of-the-year break between Christmas Day and New Years Day
Up to 6 months of parental leave
$100,000 life insurance coverage
Cityside Journalism Initiative is an award-winning nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization in the Bay Area whose mission is to strengthen democracy through local reporting that matters to residents. Cityside currently operates newsrooms in Berkeley (Berkeleyside), Oakland (The Oaklandside) and Richmond (Richmondside), and covers the local food scene through East Bay Nosh.
In fall 2024, Cityside marked a major milestone with the signing of its first collective bargaining agreement with the Cityside Pacific Media Workers Guild. The agreement, ratified after less than six months of collaborative and constructive negotiation, helps us meet an important organizational goal — to be a good place to work as well as a place that does good work.
Cityside is an equal-opportunity employer committed to building an organization that is diverse and a work environment that is safe and inclusive for all employees. We recognize that people of color, gender-expansive people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people from working-class backgrounds have historically been underrepresented in journalism. We believe that a diverse workforce is essential to understanding and representing the communities that we serve.
We encourage candidates from all spectrums of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, socio-economic background, and levels of physical ability to apply. Cityside also values a wide range of experience and encourages candidates to submit their application even if they do not meet all of the preferred qualifications.
At least five years of reporting experience.
A track record of producing high-quality journalism, ideally in a daily local newsroom environment
A commitment to ethical, accurate and inclusive local reporting: You know how to build up and maintain relationships with sources, are a thorough researcher and fact-checker and an astute interviewer
A fluid writing style: Your copy is clean, and you sweat the details — proofreading and checking facts — before turning a draft over to your editor
A solid understanding of how to obtain and use public records
You’re attuned to legal, ethical and editorial sensitivities related to your reporting
An eagerness to take on challenging, complicated or controversial reportage
Cultural competence: the awareness and knowledge to ensure that our reporting reflects the diversity of Berkeley’s people and communities and the communication skills to collaborate across lines of difference while maintaining empathy
Must be authorized to work in the United States
Live in or near Berkeley, or are willing to relocate to the city
Have education or higher education reporting experience
Have demonstrated experience in investigative and accountability reporting, community engagement, data-driven reporting, multi-format storytelling and leveraging public records into compelling reporting
Are personally grounded in underserved communities represented in Berkeley, which include Latino, Asian American, Black and LGBTQ+ communities and people with working class backgrounds
Have clear ideas about how to serve our audiences — especially residents traditionally underserved or harmed by local news media — and build a loyal readership
Speak Spanish and/or other languages other than English
Have experience with Newspack or another WordPress CMS
Have a driver’s license and access to a vehicle
Are open to public speaking, from radio to TV to live events