Political Reporter (Creative Design)

We are looking for a highly-motivated, digital-minded reporter who has the desire and drive to cover city, county and state politics. Help us hold elected officials accountable while taking readers behind-the-scenes to see how policy decisions are being made. You must be able to ask tough questions and demand answers – curiosity is a requirement for this position.

As a reporter, you will collaborate with a diverse team of visual storytellers and editors and be able to build authentic community relationships. Reporters submit stories throughout the day and can re-prioritize content in real time. Help us attract digital subscribers by optimizing content for digital audiences across web and social media platforms.

The position demands excellent writing and reporting skills and strong news judgment. A reporter must strive to present accurate, well-balanced coverage and be able to deliver breaking news items and more in-depth, enterprise stories. Knowledge of AP style writing is appreciated. Time management and basic knowledge of your phone's photography and video capabilities are keys to your success. You should possess basic knowledge of social media platforms to help promote your work. Slack helps keep the newsroom connected – excellent internal communication is a priority for our staff.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Write a minimum of 8-14 bylines a week, at least one a day, enriched with multimedia assets.
• Write a variety of stories, including content for newspaper subscribers and non-subscribers.
• Conceptualize and produce at least one, well-researched enterprise story per quarter.
• Attend at least one staff meeting or equivalent discussion a day for content planning purposes.
• Shoot or attain photos or create other multimedia assets. Prepare and package content for all platforms.  
• Ability to learn content management systems quickly and effectively.

What are the measures of success for this position?

• Gather information, write and deliver news stories for print and online publication by seeking out leads, capitalizing on external knowledge and accepting assignments from the editor or associate editor.
• Build a loyal digital subscriber base by engaging with readership online and in the community.
• Explore alternate publishing strategies to enrich content and presentation (i.e., images, slideshows, specialized web templates, embedded content, timelines, hyperlinks, SEO writing and other multimedia assets).
• Write effective digital headlines that help attract audiences. Write engaging social posts that attract audiences and encourage readers to interact with social content.
• Revise work to meet editorial approval for publication-readiness, including clarity, fairness, legality, spelling, grammar, punctuation and style.  
• Participate in internally offered training and other development opportunities.
• Use metrics to monitor real-time traffic, identify patterns and make informed content decisions.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest current events and trends.
• Communicate effectively with the newsroom and leadership both in-office and in the field.
• Manage workflow to meet deadlines and work collaboratively with team to find solutions.

Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will have an associate's or bachelor's degree in communications, journalism or equivalent in experience and/or education.
• Strong news judgment, knowledge of AP style and SEO best practices.
• Understand written sentences, paragraphs and headline writing in work related documents to communicate effectively as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Follow the law, especially regarding the confidentiality and privacy of the people they interview or write about.

As part of its continued efforts to maintain a safe workplace for employees, Hearst Newspapers requires that all employees who receive a written offer of employment on or after November 11, 2021, be fully vaccinated (as defined by the CDC) against the coronavirus by the first day of employment as a condition of employment, to the extent permitted by applicable law.  Hearst Newspapers will consider requests for reasonable accommodations on an individual basis in accordance with applicable legal requirements.