Description
The Examination is seeking an experienced reporter with a track record of producing impactful stories to join our growing food team. This is a role for someone with a collaborative mindset who is passionate about investigating an industry whose products are among the leading causes of preventable disease and early deaths worldwide.
In this position, you will shape, report, and craft stories about the role of the food industry and other powerful actors that contribute to the global burden of diet-related disease. Guided by science and verification of evidence, you will work closely with the food team to report on corporate wrongdoing, misleading marketing campaigns, regulatory failures and other forces that undermine public health.
Our food team has produced investigations that have led to a crackdown by U.S. consumer protection authorities and stronger transparency standards for social media influencers. We’ve revealed how the food and beverage industries paid popular dietitians to downplay the health risks of highly processed foods and to push unproven supplements, how oversight failures allowed lead-tainted spices to sail through the food safety system, and how industry influence has shaped global negotiations to reduce noncommunicable diseases.
As a member of the food team, you will work closely with your colleagues to develop agenda-setting coverage of a sector at the center of global public health challenges. Your responsibilities will vary from shaping and producing major investigations to writing accountability news stories and contributing to The Examination’s weekly newsletter. Though the scale and pace of those stories will vary, you will deliver them in a timely and consistent manner.
This is a beat that affects everyone’s lives and sparks passionate public discussion. The ideal candidate will bring expertise that will help us report in innovative ways and expand our ability to produce stories in multiple formats that resonate with global audiences and shape debate.
About us
The Examination is an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigating preventable health threats and empowering affected communities through fearless, evidence-based reporting. Guided by scientific rigor and empowered by global collaboration, we go deep to report on commercial products and processes that contribute to preventable disease and death, which destabilize families, communities, health systems and economies. Coverage areas include the tobacco, food and fossil fuels industries.
Since our launch in 2023, our award-winning investigations have exposed corporate and governmental forces that undermine public health. We’ve teamed up with media partners around the world, ranging from leading newspapers to small investigative outlets confronting limited resources and attacks on press freedom. Our mission is to hold the powerful to account, inspire positive change and build a healthier world.
Desired qualifications
- A track record of producing accountability journalism that takes on powerful interests and contributes to positive change
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
- Experience covering food systems or the food industry (a plus but not required)
- Skills that would augment our current expertise, including: social media analysis and/or open source reporting; data reporting and analysis; shaping and presenting accountability journalism on multiple platforms, such as on-camera reporting or working on vertical video; and language skills or regional expertise outside of North America.
- If you have skills not listed here, please let us know. The most important thing is to make the case for how you will add expertise that strengthens our food coverage.
Pay and benefits
The estimated salary for this position is between $100,000 and $115,000 USD, commensurate with experience, achievements and location. We welcome candidates from outside the U.S. and will adapt the terms of engagement depending on the country of residence. We offer a fully remote newsroom environment with strong health and retirement benefits, generous leave policies and support for professional development.
People of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and those with lived experience in the communities we cover are strongly encouraged to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer and have zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind.
How to apply
Please send your résumé and a brief cover letter explaining why you are the right person for this role and how you would approach the food beat. Please include links to or copies of three investigations or accountability stories you reported, along with a description of innovative techniques, challenges you overcame and anything else that shows your contribution, to work@theexamination.org.
If your experience does not match everything described here but you believe you can bring something essential to the role, we encourage you to apply and make your case.
Deadline to apply: January 16, 2026
Why join us now?
Since launching in 2023, we have produced meaningful, award-winning stories in partnership with dozens of news organizations worldwide — and we’re only getting started. This is a rare opportunity to join a young, ambitious newsroom at a moment of growth and experimentation.
As a food reporter, you’ll have:
Creative latitude within a mission-driven framework: Our beats are urgent and undercovered, and our model allows room to innovate in storytelling formats, cross-border collaboration and engagement strategies.
Collaborative, high-caliber peers: Work closely with an experienced, globally dispersed team of reporters, data journalists, editors and partners.
Global reach and influence: Our investigations are designed for international audiences and have led to clear outcomes — from regulatory reforms to corporate changes.
Commitment to your growth: We offer professional development support and opportunities to represent The Examination on global stages, from conferences to media appearances.
Requirements
- Conceiving, reporting and writing or otherwise presenting stories about the food industry and its effects on global public health. This will include major investigations as well as regular accountability-focused news stories and contributions to our weekly newsletter.
- Working with The Examination’s global partners to pitch investigative collaborations, take a lead role in reporting them out and help partners contribute in a meaningful way. Partnerships are key to The Examination’s model, and this position is meant for someone who is comfortable working on a team.
- Monitoring news coverage, scientific research and regulatory and policy changes related to the food sector in order to identify important and under-reported stories.
- Collaborating with food team colleagues and editors to develop priorities for coverage and divide reporting.
