News & Updates

We’re hiring: Join the Ag & Water Desk team as our Engagement Editor or an Expert Journalist

These positions will support outreach and mentorship for our growing environmental journalism collaborative. Applications are due June 10, 2024.
Journalists tour the Missouri River by boat in fall 2022.
Ag & Water Desk reporters, staff and expert journalists tour the Missouri River near Columbia, Missouri, as part of a team conference in October 2022. Photo by Missouri River Relief

The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an environmental journalism collaborative covering the U.S.’s largest watershed, has immediate openings for multiple positions. We seek a part-time Engagement Editor and three contract-based Expert Journalist mentors to join our team.

Applications will be reviewed starting June 11, with interviews to take place in mid-late June and new hires expected to start work on or around July 1, ,2024. See below for links to full job descriptions and to apply, and please email info@agwaterdesk.org with questions. Please note, our application forms require a Google sign-in; please email us if you would like to submit your application another way. Thanks for your interest!

Engagement Editor

The Ag & Water Desk seeks a part-time Engagement Editor to manage day-to-day tasks related to audience engagement, community outreach and social media promotion of stories. The Engagement Editor will work 10-15 hours a week on a flexible schedule in close coordination with the Editorial Director and Assistant Director.

This position will be a part-time, remote employee of the University of Missouri System at a pay range of $30-35 per hour, depending on qualifications. We will give strong preference to candidates based in the Mississippi River basin (see here for a map).

Click here to read a full job description. When you’re ready to apply, click here to submit an application form by June 10, 2024, end of day. Email us at info@agwaterdesk.org if you are unable to access the form.

Expert Journalists

The Ag & Water Desk seeks three Expert Journalists to provide mentoring for our Report for America corps members, project leadership and other support. Candidates may be full-time staff journalists based at news outlets OR freelance journalists. We are especially seeking candidates with broadcast media skills and/or news editing experience. Click here to meet our current Experts, reporters and other staff.

The part-time, remote, contract-based appointment comes with a $5,000 stipend per year (payable in installments twice annually) and free travel to annual conferences. The initial commitment is one year, renewable for a second year.

Click here to read a full job description. When you’re ready to apply, click here to submit an application form by June 10, 2024, end of day. Email us at info@agwaterdesk.org if you are unable to access the form.

About the Ag & Water Desk

The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is a collaborative network of journalists focused on increasing coverage of agriculture, water and other environmental issues surrounding one of the world’s major river systems. Founded in 2021, this award-winning independent initiative is based at the Missouri School of Journalism in partnership with Report for America and the Society of Environmental Journalists, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. Newsrooms can run the Ag & Water Desk’s stories for free and the public can subscribe to a weekly newsletter.