Chicago Far Northwest Side Reporter

We’re looking for a full-time reporter to cover Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Norwood Park and other Far Northwest Side neighborhoods. Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit news organization focused on Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods, is looking for a full-time reporter to cover the city’s Far Northwest Side. This is a beat reporting position, and the beat is a group of Northwest Side neighborhoods including Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Edgebrook, Edison Park, Sauganash and Norwood Park. You’ll be expected to cover everything from local school council meetings and community policing efforts to restaurant openings and real estate developments. Night meetings are common. This is not a 9–5 job (though it is typically Monday-Friday). Block Club reporters are expected to build sources and contacts in the communities they cover. Plan on getting texts and emails from neighbors and becoming a well-known fixture in your neighborhood. This is a remote position (we want you to be embedded in the community), but we’ll have staff meetings in our Downtown office and you’ll check in with your editor several times a day. This is not a job for someone who wants to write one story a week. You’ll be expected to have one or two fresh stories daily. There will be opportunities to work on longer-form investigative pieces, but the majority of the job is keeping your readers up to date on daily news from the neighborhood. The Perks Full benefits (medical, dental, vision), 401K Generous vacation policy after 90-days of employment Ability to pitch your own stories every day and explore things that interest you Supportive, scrappy, tight-knit editorial team Starting as $65,000, commensurate with experience Requirements Familiarity with Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Edgebrook, Edison Park, Sauganash and Norwood Park. (residents or former residents of the area a plus) At least two years of daily reporting experience — please include news clips and not marketing or copywriting samples Ability to shoot your own photos in the field Experience promoting your stories on social media Ability to generate story ideas and willingness to hear from neighbors and readers Experience covering community meetings or a neighborhood beat How To Apply Send us an email telling us why you’d be a good fit for the job along with your resume and 3 or 4 of your best stories to jobs (at) blockclubchi (dot) org along with two references. Put “NW Side Reporter Position” in the subject line, please! Application deadline is Nov. 15, 2026. About Us Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit, reader-funded newsroom dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Our newsroom was founded in 2018 by former DNAinfo Chicago editors and reporters after the award-winning site abruptly shuttered. We decided to call ourselves Block Club because we felt it reflected our mission: to build community through truly ground-level reporting of the city’s neighborhoods. In just four years, Block Club has transformed from scrappy startup to one of the most read news organizations in Chicago by being responsive to the city’s neighborhoods, publishing more than a dozen stories daily from every corner of the city and informing Chicagoans through our free newsletter, podcast and partnerships with local TV and radio stations. Block Club Chicago is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to everyone regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Block Club Chicago believes that diversity and inclusion among our staff makes us a better newsroom and more able to accurately report on the neighborhoods of Chicago.