Medical Science Reporter
Company websitewashingtonpost.com (The Washington Post, opens in new tab)
Base salary $120K to $180K
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range DC-Washington-TWP Headquarters
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationDC-Washington-TWP Headquarters
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (53 min ago) · observed since
About this job
Application Instructions
Please list all professional experience and explain any gaps in employment history. All of your application materials, which may include PDF files of work samples and/or links to audio, video, photography or graphics, must be uploaded to the field labeled Resume/Cover Letter/Work Samples to be considered for the position.
Join the future of news
We’re on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you’ll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most.
About Our Team
The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning News and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales.
Why This Role Matters
The Washington Post is seeking an ambitious, intellectually curious and authoritative journalist to chronicle the discoveries that are transforming medicine, science and our deepening understanding of the human body.
This is a unique opportunity to build a beat focused on the breakthroughs that will shape the future of health and medicine. The reporter will identify the most consequential advances across medicine, biology, genetics, biotechnology, drug development, diagnostics, surgery, and vaccines to help readers understand not only what scientists are discovering, but why those discoveries matter.
We are looking for an experienced, well-sourced journalist with exceptional reporting instincts and the ability to distinguish genuine breakthroughs from incremental advances and overhyped claims. The ideal candidate combines scientific rigor with elegant storytelling, producing a mix of exclusive reporting, ambitious narratives and authoritative explanatory journalism that captures both the excitement of discovery and the discipline of scientific inquiry.
This position is based in our Washington, D.C., newsroom.
What Motivates You:
- You are fascinated by scientific discovery and the questions that shape our understanding of diseases, treatments, health and the human body.
- You enjoy translating complex research into stories that captivate broad audiences.
- You are driven to separate meaningful breakthroughs from scientific hype and misinformation.
- You are energized by telling stories that combine rigorous reporting with wonder and curiosity.
- You thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy experimenting with innovative storytelling formats.
How You'll Support the Mission:
- Identify and report on the most significant scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs across medicine, biology, genetics, biotechnology and related fields.
- Develop original reporting on the scientists, institutions, companies and government agencies driving or disrupting scientific innovation. Feature the human stories behind the medical advances.
- Produce a mix of breaking news, exclusive reporting, explanatory journalism and deeply reported narrative features. Highlight emerging fields and promising ideas before they become widely understood.
- Evaluate new research critically, helping readers distinguish transformational discoveries from incremental advances and overstated claims.
- Explain complex scientific concepts in ways that are clear, engaging and accessible to general audiences.
- Collaborate with visuals teams across the newsroom to create immersive, visually rich journalism.
- Develop ambitious storytelling franchises that establish The Post as a destination for coverage of scientific discovery.
- Engage audiences through newsletters, social media, video, podcasts, live events and other evolving storytelling platforms.
The Skills and Experiences You Bring:
- A track record of producing exceptional reporting on science, medicine or related fields.
- Deep understanding of the scientific process and the ability to critically evaluate research and evidence.
- Knowledge of the government institutions that support American scientific and biomedical innovation and funding.
- Excellent reporting, interviewing and source-building skills.
- A stylish, engaging writing style capable of moving between breaking news, explanatory journalism and narrative storytelling.
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex scientific concepts into accessible journalism without sacrificing accuracy.
- Strong editorial judgment and the ability to identify discoveries with lasting significance.
- A collaborative mindset and eagerness to work across disciplines.
- A commitment to scientific rigor, fairness and the highest standards of journalism.
Interested candidates should upload a cover letter, résumé and three examples of their work (as PDFs) to our jobs portal. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, but those received by Sept. 30 will be prioritized. The cover letter should be addressed to Health, Climate & Science Editor Lynh Bui, Deputy Futures Editor Juliet Eilperin and Futures Editor Zachary Goldfarb.
The starting salary range for this position is $120,000 - $180,000. The actual starting salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements.
Collaboration makes us stronger. That’s why our offices are designed with open layouts, modern technology, and easy access to transportation. With certain exceptions for newsgathering and business travel, we work on-site five days a week.
Compensation and Benefits
Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:
Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage
Company-paid pension and 401(k) match
Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave
Nine paid holidays and two personal days
20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent
Robust mental health resources
Backup care and caregiver concierge services
Gender affirming services
Pet insurance
Free Post digital subscription
Leadership and career development programs
Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.
Your story awaits. Apply today!
Learn more about The Post at careers.washingtonpost.com.
Source: The Washington Post on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($120,000) is above 34% of the 41 Communications & Media roles in Washington, DC listed on this site; 5 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $121,785; the middle half runs from $110,000 to $143,913.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 8, 2026.
This listingMedical Science Reporter$120K to $180K
Information and Influence Reporter$120K to $165K
National Business Reporter$120K to $180K
Senior Machine Learning Engineer$119,700 to $199,300
Senior Full Stack Software Engineer, Front End Subscriptions$119,700 to $199,300
Senior HR Business Partner$121,400 to $202,400
Style Politics and Culture Editor$122,500 to $204,100
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Medical Science Reporter (this listing) | $120K - $180K |
| Information and Influence Reporter | $120K - $165K |
| National Business Reporter | $120K - $180K |
| Senior Machine Learning Engineer | $119,700 - $199,300 |
| Senior Full Stack Software Engineer, Front End Subscriptions | $119,700 - $199,300 |
| Senior HR Business Partner | $121,400 - $202,400 |
| Style Politics and Culture Editor | $122,500 - $204,100 |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-09-25
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: DC-Washington-TWP Headquarters
The starting salary range for this position is $120,000 - $180,000. The actual starting salary within this range will depend o
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.