Our old friend Fergus Cullen got his start in politics with the CT GOP and went on to become Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party during the 2008 election. He sends this job opening:
Investigative Reporter: The Yankee Institute, an independent, free-market think tank with offices in Hartford, Connecticut, seeks a full-time investigator and writer.
The focus of the position is to be a government watchdog who conducts investigative reporting on Connecticut state and municipal government, policies, and people. The emphasis is on identifying questionable government spending, such as examples of waste, cronyism, corporate welfare, and hypocrisy. A familiarity with Connecticut state government and Connecticut politics will be helpful.
Applicants should have a background in journalism, investigation, and research, and have an established record of getting published or broadcast. Strong written and verbal communication skills are musts. An ideal candidate will have skills in new media, including knowing how to maintain a website and enough basic technical ability to produce an original content video and post it to YouTube and Facebook. The position also requires old fashioned, pre-internet research skills that involve archives, stacks, reference librarians, and the touching of real paper, as well as the art of finding and persuading the right person to talk.
This is not a highly structured position. A successful applicant will have a demonstrated ability to work independently. Some topics may be suggested or assigned, but most are expected to be identified by the reporter. An entrepreneurial mindset, both in terms of identifying topics and promoting and bringing attention to one’s findings, will help a hire be successful. The reporter is expected to produce regular content resulting from a mix of short and long term projects.
Sharing our free-market and limited government outlook and philosophy is important to being a good cultural fit for our organization.
Compensation: Commensurate with ability and experience.
Location: The Yankee Institute has offices on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. A successful hire could work outside the office at least part of the time, but spending considerable time in Hartford will be necessary to develop the relationships needed to be successful in the position.
Applicants should send a brief letter of interest, resume, and copies of or links to relevant work to Fergus Cullen, Executive Director, at fergus@yankeeinstitute.org. He can also be reached at 860-297-4271 or 603-520-5450 m. www.yankeeinstitute.org
