Vertical Video Reporter

Who We Are

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering the U.S. criminal justice system. 

We were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 and 2021. We have also been honored with the Goldsmith Prize, multiple National Magazine Awards, and an award for General Excellence from the Online Journalism Awards. We are not advocates — we follow the facts and do not pander to any audience — but we have a declared mission: to create and sustain a sense of urgency about the criminal justice system. 

We do not generally cover breaking news, although we curate the reporting of other news outlets in our morning newsletter. Our work includes investigative and explanatory projects and shorter pieces aimed at highlighting stories that other news organizations miss, underestimate or misunderstand. To ensure our work reaches a larger audience, we partner with other media outlets; we have worked with more than 200 newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and online sites.

The Marshall Project is seeking a creative and strategic Vertical Video Reporter to transform our investigative reporting into high-impact visual storytelling. This position sits on the Audience Team and reports directly to the Audience Director. The ideal candidate possesses strong news judgment, sharp editing skills, and a native understanding of what makes short-form vertical video resonate on popular social platforms in 2026. You are someone who can bridge the gap between complex investigative journalism and engaging, shareable video without losing the nuance of the story.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Partner with reporters to translate The Marshall Project’s journalism into compelling video. This includes identifying video-ready reporting, assisting reporters with scriptwriting, and directing/editing videos where the reporter serves as the on-camera talent.

Lead The Marshall Project's vertical video strategy in collaboration with the Audience Team by conceptualizing, reporting, producing, and publishing original video journalism for social platforms.

Actively monitor the criminal justice news cycle with an eye for faster-turnaround explainer videos that connect breaking and trending stories to The Marshall Project's reporting and expertise.

Manage the full production lifecycle for multiple projects across different stages of production.

Appear on-camera and host standalone video formats as needed, serving as a recurring face for The Marshall Project’s video presence.

Regularly review video performance analytics with the Audience Director. Use these insights to identify what resonates with viewers and iterate on formats, pacing, and strategies.

Advise reporting staff on filming best practices and field-recording techniques to ensure high-quality raw assets for collaborative projects.

Ensure all videos are edited in accordance with house style and optimized for platform success, including closed captioning and platform-native engagement features.

Required skills and Experiences:

5+ years of professional journalism experience, with a demonstrated track record of producing video content for social media platforms.

Experience developing and executing social video strategies that drive audience growth.

Proficiency in Adobe Premiere Pro with a focus on editing quickly and efficiently.

Demonstrated success in producing social video that has reached large audiences on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

A native understanding of the language of the internet and the specific visual and narrative pacing required for successful short-form vertical video.

Comfortable with on-camera hosting duties and the ability to engage an audience directly.

Who You’d Be Working With

You will work closely with our Audience team and report directly to the Audience Director.

Compensation and Benefits

This job is full-time, with a competitive salary and benefits including: 100% employer-paid medical, employer subsidized vision and dental insurance; matching traditional and Roth 401k (immediate vesting). Voluntary benefits include: Health and Dependent Care FSA, commuter benefits, pet insurance, short and long term disability insurance, employee and dependent life insurance, AFLAC accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness coverage, legal benefits, personal excess liability insurance, and employee discount marketplace. We also observe 17 days of paid time off each year (in addition to office closure between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2), and provide paid parental leave.

Annual Salary Range: 105,000-$115,000

Please also submit a vertical video introducing yourself and sharing why you're interested in this role at The Marshall Project. Your video should be no longer than 2 minutes .

We are headquartered in New York City, and although this position is fully remote, applicants must reside in the United States and possess the necessary authorization to work here. Remote work outside of the U.S. is not allowed under any circumstances. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, ages, ethnicities, physical abilities, genders and sexual orientations, including people who have been incarcerated or otherwise involved with the criminal justice system.

We do not expect every candidate to be equally skilled in all these areas, and this is not a complete list of all relevant qualifications applicants might bring to the job. Please tell us about your other assets not mentioned here that may be valuable to this role. Reaching talent across a range of backgrounds and experiences is deeply important to us. If you do not have the exact combination of skills listed here, but are still interested in this role and/or in The Marshall Project, we'd love to hear from you.

Due to the expected volume of applications, we will follow up with the most promising candidates, but we cannot respond individually to all applicants.