Investigative Reporter

Position description

The War Horse is passionate about reporting that demands accountability from the military and its leaders and defends the underdogs and underserved. Our stories illuminate serious issues that often go unexplained or underreported, such as sexual harassment and assault, broken promises to LGBTQ vets, and disinformation and extremism.

We are seeking an Investigative Reporter to carry on our proud tradition of watchdog journalism through thoughtful, deeply reported stories that showcase the human impact of military service. 

We’re looking for a highly collaborative, energetic, and driven journalist who combines critical thinking with a flair for narrative writing to help us tell stories that bridge the military-civilian divide. The successful candidate understands that the military intersects with every aspect of American life—from healthcare to technology to civil liberties to government waste—and this community offers a trove of untapped stories.

Responsibilities: 

• • Steady story tempo: Report and write an average of two stories a month—from watchdog journalism to narrative features—that explore how military service and policies affect the lives of service members, veterans, and military families. The articles delve into complex subjects and overlooked events, offering readers a deeper and more nuanced understanding of military issues. A key ingredient to any War Horse story: we focus on the human element often missing from military and veterans policy discussions.
  • Projects that dig deeper: We’re always searching for stories that deserve more time, space, and attention. So we expect our successful candidate to lead at least one ambitious reporting project a year built around original data analysis, unearthed documents, narrative storytelling, and other techniques while leveraging partnerships with media organizations that can enhance our work (think podcasts and videos) and expand our audience.
  • FOIA Submissions, Research, Interviews, Source Building and Fact-Checking: Support the foundation of current and future War Horse projects by requesting and making information available to the public, practicing ethical and truth-driven research and reporting, and finding and maintaining reliable sources off the beaten path.
  • Panels, Partnerships and Presentations: Our reporters are experts in their fields and should expect to discuss their work on panels and online presentations, as well as be a natural at collaborating with a wide assortment of journalism and research partners to tackle projects that succeed when small newsrooms like ours share ideas, brainpower, and tasks.

Qualifications

• Ability to consistently pick away at big, multidimensional projects over the course of several months while delivering investigative stories on a steady cadence
• Thrives at cultivating reliable sources in a challenging environment
• A proven record of stories that highlight journalism’s traditional values—exposing injustice and forcing change.
• Appreciation for OSINT, data analysis, and data visualization skills
• Commitment to uplifting diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and storytelling
• Five years experience at a news organization or journalism outlet is preferred 
• Military experience, cultural understanding, current affairs awareness, or strong interest to learn
• Experience leading high-impact, high-stakes investigations from brainstorming to publication
• Strong initiative and comfort working both independently and collaboratively
• Experience and success working remotely and across teams and time zones
• Well-honed project and people management abilities; able to keep increasingly complex information and resources well-organized  
• Understanding of how nonprofits, newsrooms, or nonprofit newsrooms operate

Salary & Benefits: 

This is a full-time salaried position based remotely. Compensation is $80,000 to $85,000/yr, along with a growing benefits package, including but not limited to flexible working hours; 401k match; employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage; and digital privacy services.

Application instructions

Send an email with the subject line “Investigative Reporter” and the following materials:

• your resume;
• three references;
• links to three examples of your best investigative and/or narrative storytelling that fits the kind of work you would do at The War Horse (If it’s behind a paywall, make sure to give us access)
• a brilliant description of an unforgettable story the world hasn’t read that will change the lives of veterans, service members, and their families—along with five steps you would take to deliver it.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority review given to those received by March 31, 2025.

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