Join WABE’s news team to report on climate, energy and the environment at a critical moment in time, in one of the most interesting places to cover the topic.  

Track the transition to clean energy as Georgia lures businesses and manufacturing, report on how communities respond to legacy pollution challenges and cover emerging science and solutions.  

The right person will be able to clearly explain complex science and policy, connect environmental issues to people’s daily lives and find unique angles and under-reported stories.  

Who we are 

WABE strives to be the most trusted independent source of news and local storytelling in Atlanta, furthering community and civic participation. 

As the NPR and PBS affiliate for the Metro Atlanta area, we provide our community with national content as well as award-winning local journalism, radio shows, digital stories, podcasts and television programs.   

WABE is 100% independent, 100% nonprofit and 100% committed to amplifying diverse voices in Atlanta.    

Our mission is to inform, inspire, reflect and empower.    

The team 

This position reports to the deputy managing editor and works closely with a digital editor and the statewide climate reporter, as well as other members of WABE’s newsroom and journalists at partner outlets.   

Our newsroom is a collaborative and supportive environment, where reporters, producers, hosts and editors work together to elevate everyone’s work. At WABE we share sources and story ideas, help each other out when needed and celebrate one anothers’ successes.   

We believe in  

• Collaboration 

• We work together as a newsroom on series and projects  

• At times we work with other departments in our organization, such as on events that showcase the newsroom’s work 

• We work with other news organizations to produce content that is richer and more substantial than we could achieve on our own 

• Diversity 

• We support a diverse group of voices in the newsroom, speaking up to make sure we are covering the right things at the right time, and to add to the richness and accuracy of our stories 

• We believe in stretching our boundaries to tell stories that traditional media can often miss 

• We care about hearing from a variety of people in our reporting 

• We issue feedback to management when problems or opportunities arise 

• Development  

• It is important to newsroom leadership that everyone on the team learns and grows 

• We aim to play to each person’s strengths while we work together to improve areas that need more development 

• Newsroom leadership encourages cross training to allow people to learn about other positions on the team, including potential opportunities to report, host, produce and edit. 

• We encourage staff to participate in fellowships, grants and training opportunities outside of WABE 

• Wellness 

• Newsroom leadership believes journalists deliver more impactful and powerful stories when they are in a good place physically, emotionally and mentally 

• Our newsroom provides a free membership to scores of metro Atlanta YMCAs, free access to the Insight Timer app and flexibility in scheduling in coordination with direct supervisors. 

The job 

The environment reporter reports daily news for the radio and our website as well as sound-rich, character-driven feature stories.  

The reporter in this position will help plan and contribute to special projects and series and appear at community outreach events.  

There will also be opportunities to report and/or host for television and digital video as WABE continues to develop original programming.   

In this job you will 

• Write quickly and accurately on deadline for radio and digital   

• File local and national daily news stories and enterprise features, using sound, writing and sourcing to make reports shine, whether they’re 50 seconds or five minutes  

• Collaborate on series and projects with the rest of the environment team and others in the newsroom 

• Work with the digital team on creative ways to present stories online 

• Coordinate with NPR’s Climate Desk on local and national coverage 

• Participate on behalf of the station at public outreach and educational events and other community forums   

• Work with the radio team for on-air pledge drives as needed    

This position is based in Atlanta. WABE’s newsroom is a flexible, hybrid work environment.  

Who you are 

We’re looking for someone who  

• Is a creative writer and ambitious reporter 

• Has excellent news judgment and ethics 

• Is organized, able to juggle tasks and meet deadlines 

• Is able to adapt as news happens, without losing too much momentum on priority stories 

• Has at least two years of experience working in digital or broadcast journalism, experience in public media and/or environment reporting especially    

That being said, we know not every strong candidate will have every qualification or desired skill neatly checked off – and that’s OK. We encourage you to apply even if you’re not sure you have all the experience, but you are sure that you could do this job.  

We would like you to both have experience using sound to tell stories as well as the ability to quickly and accurately write digital stories in coordination with audio reports. But if you have experience in environment reporting but not radio, we can teach you. Likewise, if you have experience in radio but not environment reporting, we can teach you.  

We’re looking for someone who’s eager to learn, passionate about the topic and ready to get out and report.  

Compensation and benefits 

This position will start at the high end of the Reporter II category or the lower end of the Reporter III category with a salary range of $55,000-65,000.