Reporter, Health, Food and Safety

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to a fair and just marketplace for all. CR is known for our rigorous testing and trusted ratings on thousands of products and services. We report extensively on consumer trends and challenges, and survey millions of people in the U.S. each year. We leverage our evidence-based approach to advocate for consumer rights, working with policymakers and companies to find solutions for safer products and fair practices.

About the role

Consumer Reports is an independent, mission-driven nonprofit that has fought for consumers and marketplace safety for 90 years. We are looking for a skilled reporter who has the range to cover a variety of topics with both short-form and long-form stories. This role will offer the opportunity to work on stories that have the potential to change the marketplace and will be a great fit for someone with experience making technical subjects compelling reading.

You should be highly organized and willing to jump on front-of-book service stories in the magazine, quick-turn news stories online, production in our CMS, and other editorial tasks as needed. The topics you cover will vary, so agility, flexibility, and being deadline-driven are essential. Some experience covering subjects like consumer health, medicine, nutrition, food safety, product safety, and science—and an interest in the subjects on that list that are new to you—will be very helpful.

You’ll be reporting to the lead health, food, and safety editor while working closely with our investigative reporters, product and food safety scientists, and advocates to help uncover the threats and challenges consumers face in this constantly changing landscape. This is a hybrid position and is not eligible for sponsorship or relocation assistance.

Responsibilities

• Closely follow beats related to some of CR’s top issues including food safety and product safety.
• Write health and food stories for print and online that are a mix of service and news, consistently cutting through hype and misinformation and surfacing the best available evidence.
• Turn testing conducted by CR scientists on our product safety, food safety, and nutrition teams into fully reported stories that include expert input, scientific studies, “real people,” and research into relevant regulations, legislation, and litigation.
• Possibly do social media, earned media, or public appearances related to your stories.

Requirements

• At least two to three years of reporting experience that demonstrates an ability to ask hard questions and dig deep to find answers.
• Consistently turn around engaging, well-written stories quickly (at least one a week), while balancing competing demands and priorities.
• Clean, engaging, and well-organized copy with a knack for translating complex information into compelling stories.
• Ability to swiftly bring yourself up to speed on new beats.
• Organized and able to work independently as well as collaboratively across multiple platforms and with other writers, editors, and experts from other departments.
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment where multitasking is the norm; enjoy mastering several subjects simultaneously and working on multiple projects at once without losing focus or sacrificing attention to detail.
• Welcomes feedback on ideas and stories, and tackles revisions graciously.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in journalism (a plus).
• Experience reporting on food safety, chemical safety, product safety, nutrition, and/or medicine.
• Demonstrated agility in pivoting to new beats throughout your career and comfort diving into new topics.
• Insatiable curiosity and a reporter’s thirst for knowledge, with the ability to pose questions that yield necessary answers.
• Competency in WordPress and Google Docs, with the ability to learn other platforms as needed.
• Versatile journalist who can collaborate with designers, video producers, and photo editors.
• Adept at using SEO research, analytics, and other market data to guide your work.
• Open to working alongside CR colleagues—editors, fact-checkers, testers, consumer advocates, layout designers, etc.—to create stories that help consumers and change the marketplace.
• Comfortable in front of a microphone or camera, welcoming opportunities to participate in videos and represent CR in social media, podcast, and press appearances.

Pay

We are registered to do business in and can only hire from the following states and federal district: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

• NY/California: $110,560.34-$112,599.96 annually
• All other CR locations: $105,032.33 - $106,969.96 annually