The Texas Observer is a nonprofit statewide media organization based in Austin. Since its founding in 1954, the Observer has covered important stories that would otherwise be underreported or ignored. We specialize in investigative reporting, tell-it-like-it-is political coverage, and narrative storytelling. The Observer publishes a bimonthly print magazine and produces daily stories at TexasObserver.org.

The Texas Observer is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, political affiliation, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or sexual orientation.

Jobs & Fellowships

Please check back again in the future for potential openings at the Texas Observer.

We hope to continue offering regular, seasonal fellowships to early career journalists. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Observer fellowships may be done for course credit where offered. The editorial fellow is paid a stipend for the semester.

The fellowship program is designed to open up working opportunities for those whose economic circumstances might otherwise limit their ability to pursue a career in journalism (hence the stipend). The fellow should be based in Texas during the program, and plan to do in-person reporting.

We expect and encourage editorial fellows to generate as much bylined material as motivation and skill will allow. We ask for a commitment of about 30 hours per week, but we’re reasonably flexible about scheduling.

Successful Observer fellows will research, report, and write. They will check facts and proof magazine pages. They will attend weekly story meetings and learn how to develop a successful pitch. They will work under the direct mentorship of skilled editors and nationally recognized reporters to produce substantive work for one of the nation’s last bastions of nonprofit, mission-driven journalism.

This position is open to undergraduates and can be in person in our Austin office or remote anywhere in Texas. An interest in politics and social justice is highly appreciated.

We work to hold public officials and corporations accountable and focus on communities whose stories are too often ignored or poorly told—including people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQ+ people. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

Pitch to Us

Please click here to access the Observer’s complete pitch guide.