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Investigative Reporter Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Houston, TX

The Houston Chronicle is looking to hire an investigative reporter to join our award-winning investigations team, the largest team of its kind in Texas. This is a chance for an ambitious ...

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Birmingham, AL

WVTM-TV , the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Al is looking for a Investigative Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots. You ...

Hearst Newspapers

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Homewood, AL · On-site

WVTM-TV , the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Al is looking for a Investigative Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots. You ...

Hearst Newspapers

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Birmingham, AL · On-site

WVTM-TV , the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Al is looking for a Investigative Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots. You ...

Hearst Newspapers

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst Television

Investigative Reporter

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$85K - $95K/yr

Investigative Reporter WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, MD is looking for a Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots.

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Birmingham, AL · On-site

WVTM-TV , the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Al is looking for a Investigative Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots. You ...

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Birmingham, AL · On-site

WVTM-TV , the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Al is looking for a Investigative Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots. You ...

Hearst

Investigative Reporter

Birmingham, AL

WVTM-TV , the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Al is looking for a Investigative Reporter who can create story ideas, conduct informed interviews, develop sources, and build compelling live shots. You ...

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How much do investigative reporter jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for investigative reporter in the United States is $23.12, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.27 and $28.12 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Investigative Reporter, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Investigative Reporter, you need strong research, analytical, and writing skills, typically supported by a degree in journalism or communications. Familiarity with data analysis tools, public records databases, and digital research platforms is often required. Persistence, ethical judgment, and effective interpersonal communication distinguish outstanding investigative journalists. These skills and qualities are crucial for uncovering important stories, ensuring accuracy, and building trust with sources and audiences.

What Does an Investigative Reporter Do?

An investigative reporter conducts interviews or research to help build their story. This type of journalism often focuses on one topic at a time and may require travel and irregular hours. In this career, you investigate multiple elements of a story and find various source options to obtain information. You might specialize in a niche, such as crime, politics, or even doing consumer research to see if products meet people’s expectations. Some reporters take photos to accompany their stories. You need basic computer skills to type up and format your story for publishing.

What are some common challenges investigative reporters face when working on complex stories?

Investigative reporters often encounter obstacles such as gaining access to reliable sources, verifying information from multiple perspectives, and handling legal or ethical considerations around sensitive topics. The process can be time-consuming and demanding, requiring persistence, discretion, and adaptability. Collaboration with editors, legal teams, and sometimes data analysts is key to ensuring stories are accurate, fair, and impactful while maintaining source confidentiality and journalistic integrity.

What is the difference between Investigative Reporter vs News Reporter?

AspectInvestigative ReporterNews Reporter
CredentialsJournalism degree, experience in investigative workJournalism degree, general reporting experience
Work EnvironmentResearch-heavy, often in offices or field investigationsOn-location, live reporting, newsroom
Employer & IndustryNews organizations, media outletsNews organizations, media outlets
Search & Comparison IntentInvestigative work, in-depth storiesBreaking news, daily reporting

Investigative reporters focus on in-depth research and uncovering hidden stories, often requiring specialized skills and longer-term projects. News reporters cover daily news events, providing timely updates. While both roles work within journalism and media industries, investigative reporters typically engage in more detailed, long-term investigations compared to the fast-paced nature of news reporting.

What does an Investigative Reporter do?

An Investigative Reporter is a journalist who specializes in uncovering information that is often hidden from the public. They conduct in-depth research, analyze data, interview sources, and follow leads to expose wrongdoing, corruption, or significant social issues. Their work often takes weeks or months and can involve complex subjects such as government, business, or crime. The goal is to inform the public and hold powerful individuals or organizations accountable.
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What states have the most Investigative Reporter jobs? States with the most job openings for Investigative Reporter jobs include:
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Investigative Reporter jobs near you
Infographic showing various Investigative Reporter job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, 31% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $48,090 per year, or $23.1 per hour.

Investigative Reporter

HNP Houston Chronicle

Houston, TX • On-site

Full-time

Posted 20 days ago

Job description

Job Description
The Houston Chronicle is looking to hire an investigative reporter to join our award-winning investigations team, the largest team of its kind in Texas. This is a chance for an ambitious accountability-focused journalist to mold their own beat and collaborate widely across a newsroom that's been named the state's best for seven of the past eight years by the Texas Managing Editors.
Our reporters work in topic areas such as state and local government accountability, suburban growth and development, the oil and gas industry, healthcare, criminal justice and more. Our goal is to serve our readers, answer their burning questions and make a difference with reporting that calls attention to problems, finds answers and tracks solutions.
This new hire will report to the Senior Director of Investigations and be a part of the local investigative reporting team that has been nationally recognized for its impact and scope. Recently, our team's work was awarded first place by the Online News Association and National Headliner Awards, as well as by SABEW and Best of the West. Our work was also a finalist for the Livingston Awards and semifinalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.
Key Responsibilities
  • Pitches, reports and produces coverage that drives conversation and impacts the way the region's power brokers make decisions and exert their influence.
  • Owns all of the subsequent reporting, impact and updates around key investigative storylines.
  • Collaborates with other reporters, editors, visual journalists and audience colleagues to elevate our accountability and high-impact reporting in ways that engage our core audience and give new audiences a reason to subscribe.
  • Works with visual, audience and data colleagues to present investigations in new and engaging formats that go beyond traditional print storytelling.

We're Looking For Someone Who
  • Has at least five years producing original accountability stories that have had a major impact on laws, lives and hearts.
  • Has strong familiarity with Texas and moves quickly, identifying opportunities for investigative stories and delving into them with speed, rigor and fairness.
  • Will thrive in a fast-paced and collaborative environment, juggling priorities and writing with clarity, care and precision.
  • Is well versed in investigative reporting skills, including working with data and filing public records requests at the local, state and federal levels.
  • Has demonstrated ability to find audiences for their work on different platforms through a variety of story formats as well as on social media.
  • Is experienced with scripting and producing videos to accompany or enhance written investigations.
  • Can build data visualizations and databases to bring complex stories to life.

Success is measured by
  • Produces exclusive coverage that lands with impact and drives conversation - giving new audiences a reason to convert and keeping our core audience coming back for more.
  • Publishes content at a cadence that ensures we are regularly offering exclusive, must-read impact and accountability work to our audience.
  • Takes the biggest accountability stories of the day and elevates them into quick-turn investigative stories or seeds them into long-term rolling series.

About the Houston Chronicle:
The Houston Chronicle, recognized for its Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism, serves its 2.3 million residents with content and marketing solutions across two of Houston's largest websites - HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com , along with our magazine, television and newspaper brands. Our mission is to spark conversations that inspire action to create a better Houston. All our content and the innovative business solutions we provide invite Houstonians to join conversations about a community we've been committed to covering and helping prosper for more than 120 years. The community we all call home.
About Hearst Newspapers:
With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP encompasses a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate.
At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories - growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms - to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.
Be a part of something bigger - your headline awaits.
Recognizing the diverse needs of our candidates, if you are interested in applying for employment and need assistance or an accommodation to use our website or regarding the application process, please contact us by email at hnpemployment@hearst.com. Please do not use this email address to inquire about the status of applications. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests for a reasonable accommodation through this email address.
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