Careers
Join the Franklin News Foundation team
We are looking for passionate journalists and media professionals to join our growing team.
What we do
The Franklin News Foundation’s mission is to hold government accountable through objective, balanced, citizen-focused public journalism with a taxpayer sensibility. Franklin’s newswire model delivers high-quality journalism to hundreds of news outlets nationwide and is dedicated to the principles of transparency and government accountability. This coverage allows all readers to understand the impact and importance of governmental issues in their own backyard.
The benefits of working here
Work with an award-winning team
Franklin is home to multiple award-winning editors and journalists, led by an Editor and Publisher recognized "Editor Extraordinaire.
Drive real-world change
Join our staff of nationally recognized journalists, whose hard-hitting coverage breaks untold stories every day.
Enjoy a flexible work environment
As a member of our remote team, you can work from your own home, without a daily commute.
Hear directly from our staff
Learn about our company culture from the people who live it.
Lisa Yuscius
Media Service Production Manager, Advanced Digital Media
Brendan Clarey
K-12 Editor, Chalkboard News
Shirleen Guerra
Staff Reporter, The Center Square
Open Positions
An apprentice reporter for The Center Square is a journalist near the beginning of their professional career who spends six months under the guidance of experienced editors who will train them on the news gathering, reporting and writing process. The Center Square reports the news on public policy and other matters of interest to taxpayers across the U.S., and apprentice reporters will help us further that mission. These are paid positions, and successful completion of the apprenticeship program could lead to a full-time reporting job at The Center Square.
The Center Square covers government from a taxpayers’ perspective, not from government’s perspective. We hold government officials accountable for their actions and decisions, and inform our readers how those decisions affect them.
The apprentice reporters will help supplement our coverage in key states, including Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Duties and responsibilities will include:
- Report on legislative and policy issues and their impact on taxpayers in assigned states.
- Contribute to The Center Square's coverage of key races in advance of the November election.
- Participate in weekly meetings with a Managing Editor, who will mentor apprentice reporters on navigating public records and databases to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse.
- Publish up to 10 news stories each week
- Generate relevant story ideas with frequency, and discuss with managing editor.
- Cultivate trusted sources to provide leads on potential stories, including those inside and outside government, think tanks, academia, unions and the business community.
- Monitor the media landscape to identify popular topics and potential media partners.
Qualifications:
- Passionate about The Center Square’s mission
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- Background in journalism or journalistic functions
- Familiarity with government policy issues
- Ability to uncover original stories and break them
- Entrepreneurial approach and ability to work independently
- Excellent, proactive communicator
- Demonstrated understanding of planning and budgeting processes
- Ability to travel on an as-needed basis, including regionally when called upon
- Strong commitment to the principles of personal responsibility and free enterprise
Send resume, cover letter and links to clips to dmccaleb@thecentersquare.com.
Advanced Digital Media – owned by the Franklin News Foundation, publisher of The Center Square – is currently seeking a highly organized and creative professional to join our team as a News Videographer and Multimedia Producer in Springfield, Illinois. In this role, you will collaborate closely with our creative team to plan, shoot and edit engaging video content for our primary product, BlueRoomStream.com – often referred to as the "C-SPAN of Illinois." As a key member of our media production team, you will be responsible for ensuring the availability of recording equipment, directing camera operators, and editing footage to align with scripts provided by reporters, producers, or associate producers.
Responsibilities
- Shoot live and recorded video of news events, both on and off the Illinois Capitol grounds, for live feeds.
- Edit video material expertly to match scripts prepared by reporters, producers, or associate producers.
- Independently gather news content and contribute media content to BlueRoomStream.com and other digital platforms.
- Work closely with reporters to develop comprehensive stories, collaborating on the best production methods.
- Suggest story topics and pictorial essays to the Executive Producer.
- Set up remotes to transmit live from the scene and report back to the station.
- Troubleshoot networking and video routing issues during live events.
- Plan daily news coverage for BlueRoomStream.com and adjust plans accordingly to meet department needs.
- Collaborate with a high-functioning reporting team to ensure seamless communication and coordination.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications
- College degree desired.
- Minimum of 3 years' experience as a news or production photographer.
- At least 2 years of non-linear editing experience using Adobe Premiere.
- Experience with LiveU or TVU operation is preferred.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Valid Illinois driver's license and good driving record.
- Ability to work 8-hour shifts, 5 days a week, with flexibility for additional hours/days in a 24/7 operation.
- Ability to lift in excess of 50 pounds on a regular basis.
- Professional video camera and audio operation experience for events on and off the Illinois Capitol grounds.
- Technical capabilities to stream high-definition video using encoders and remote transmission equipment.
- Expert in live video production and post-production editing.
- Adaptable to utilizing various professional media editing software.
We look forward to hearing from you
If you are a seasoned videographer with a passion for news production, technical expertise in live video streaming, and a knack for storytelling, we encourage you to apply for this challenging and rewarding position with Advanced Digital Media and contribute to the success of BlueRoomStream.com, the "C-SPAN of Illinois." Send resumé and cover letter to cmcneeley@americastalking.com.
The Center Square is seeking freelance journalists to cover state government and statewide issues from a taxpayer's perspective in states across the country, including Ohio, Massachusetts, Maryland, Alabama and elsewhere.
We're looking for individuals who have government reporting experience, and a strong interest and understanding of public policy and how policy decisions in state capitals affect taxpayers back home.
The Center Square covers government from a taxpayers’ perspective, not from government’s perspective. We hold government officials accountable for their actions and decisions, and inform our readers how those decisions affect them.
The media industry in the U.S. is shrinking, leaving fewer options for readers to digest the decisions made by their state and local government officials. The Center Square, the state-focused reporting division of the non-partisan, non-profit Franklin News Foundation, seeks to fill this journalistic void.
To apply, please send resume and writing samples Dan McCaleb, executive editor, via email: jobs@franklinnews.org.