Freelance Investigative Journalist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Banner is building a newsroom that reflects Maryland in all its complexity, urgency and possibility. We're looking for a Visuals Editor to help shape powerful visual journalism across the state.

This is a strategic, hands-on editing, assignment and management role for someone who knows how to move fast on breaking news, think big on enterprise, and collaborate closely with reporters, editors, photographers, illustrators, designers and audience teams to make stories more compelling, more accessible and more visually distinctive.

You'll join a visuals team that includes four staff photojournalists and another Visuals Editor, working across breaking news, arts, investigations, sports, features and special projects. You'll report to the Director of Visuals and help guide the daily visual workflow for photography, illustration and design. In partnership with the Director of Visuals, you'll help assign work, support staff and freelance contributors, uphold visual standards, and provide coaching and feedback that strengthens the team's work.

What You'll Do

• Help manage the daily visual schedule and workflow for stories across Maryland, with a focus on Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
• Assign staff and freelance photographers, illustrators and visual contributors for breaking news, features, enterprise stories and special projects.
• Help coordinate workloads, deadlines and priorities for visual assignments in partnership with the Director of Visuals and other newsroom leaders.
• Edit photography on deadline with strong visual judgment, rigorous caption accuracy and attention to tone, context and fairness.
• Provide clear assignment direction, creative briefs and feedback to staff photographers, freelancers and illustrators.
• Help coach visual contributors on storytelling approach, captioning, ethical considerations, visual quality and digital presentation.
• Brainstorm visual approaches with reporters and editors early in the story process.
• Identify opportunities for stronger photography, illustration, design, video, archival imagery, visual explainers and other storytelling formats.
• Research wire, archival and licensed imagery, ensuring appropriate permissions, credits, captions and usage rights.
• Help shape story presentation, layout, homepage treatment, newsletters, social visuals and off-platform promotion.
• Art direct illustrations and create photo illustrations when needed.
• Support the Director of Visuals in maintaining visual standards, workflow systems and consistent editorial practices across the newsroom.
• Help onboard and support freelance contributors, including communicating expectations, deadlines, assignment needs and editorial standards.
• Bring creativity, care, sound judgment and strong editorial standards to every assignment.
• Uphold The Banner's commitment to ethical, accurate, inclusive and community-centered journalism.

 What You'll Bring

• 5+ years of experience editing visuals in a fast-paced newsroom or editorial environment.
• Excellent news judgment and a strong understanding of visual ethics, accuracy, consent, representation and context.
• A strong eye for visual narrative, digital storytelling and platform-specific presentation.
• Experience assigning or managing photographers, illustrators, freelancers or other visual contributors.
• Experience providing feedback, coaching or editorial guidance to visual journalists or creative collaborators.
• Experience commissioning photography, illustration and/or video.
• Strong caption writing, reporting, assignment brief and visual research skills.
• Experience with archival research, licensing, copyright permissions and proper image usage.
• Fluency in Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Photo Mechanic and related visual editing or design tools.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to help manage competing deadlines, assignments and newsroom priorities.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to stay calm, clear and constructive under deadline pressure.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to give and receive thoughtful editorial feedback.
• A clear commitment to community-centered journalism and inclusive assignment practices.
• Willingness to work some evenings, weekends or irregular hours as news requires.

 What Success Looks Like

• Visual assignments are clear, well-coordinated and aligned with newsroom priorities.
• Staff and freelance contributors receive useful direction, timely feedback and the context they need to produce strong work.
• Visual work is accurate, ethical, compelling and reflective of the communities The Banner serves.
• Editors and reporters bring visuals into story planning earlier and more consistently.
• Photography, illustration and design are used thoughtfully to strengthen story presentation across platforms.
• The Director of Visuals has a strong partner in managing daily workflow, maintaining standards and supporting the visuals team.

Additional Information:

• Samples of your work: Please submit samples of photos that you have edited and/or art direction. 
• Schedule: This position follows a Sunday - Thursday afternoon/evening coverage schedule. Some schedule flexibility may be needed based on news demands.
• Location: This role is based in Baltimore, Maryland with hybrid work options available.

Salary Range: $95,000 - $105,000 Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by several factors including experience, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations. We periodically review all teammates' pay to ensure a great compensation package that is fair and equal across the board.

 Our amazing benefits include:

• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Retirement savings - 401K plan offered through Human Interest, with a company match
• Student Loan Debt Repayment Assistance for qualified employees
• Full health benefits - medical, dental, vision, prescription, FSA/HSA., and coverage for family/dependents
• Sick Leave eligible for rollover 
• Commuter Benefits
• 11 Paid National Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Generous Parental Leave
• Company paid access to a wellness platform to support mental, financial and physical wellbeing

 Our Core Values:

• Do what's right. Honesty, morality, respect and the mission guide our actions and decisions. By doing the right thing, we inspire others to believe.
• Work together. We collaborate to create something special. Together we challenge assumptions, trust each other, take risks, and foster transparent and direct communication.
• Listen to be heard. Our stories are trustworthy. They are inspired by and created for our readers. Their story is our story. Communities are at the center of our journalism, and everything we do.
• Deliver impactful results. Acting as one accountable team and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, we deliver bold and innovative results. We act fast, execute and learn. We celebrate great outcomes.
• Be inclusive. We celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and act by curating a culture that leverages diverse perspectives as the key to fulfilling our mission. The Banner is for all of us.

The Venetoulis Institute embraces diversity and inclusion, and we are wholeheartedly committed to being proactive in inspiring a culture of inclusion across our organization. We are dedicated to establishing an organization that reflects the fundamental respect for different ways of working and living, and we assure every employee the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation due to a disability to participate in the application process, please contact careers@thebanner.com to request accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, adjustments in the application process, modifications or assistance regarding job interviews, and accommodations to enable access to our facilities. We appreciate the value that individuals with disabilities bring to our workforce and encourage applicants with disabilities to disclose their needs for accommodation to facilitate a smooth and inclusive recruitment experience.