Reporter III - Memphis city government and politics reporter
Req #26594
Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies UpCurve, Inc. and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures.
To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.
The Commercial Appeal/commercialappeal.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is looking for someone to cover Memphis city government, including the mayor and City Council, and politics.
This reporter will explore all areas of city government, from the operations of the nation's largest city-owned utility, MLGW, to the various ways the city's sprawling operations affect the residents of Memphis. The emphasis will be on telling those stories from the residents' perspective.
You will produce a mix of daily, enterprise and project work, with an emphasis on enterprise stories that can drive digital subscriptions. While the focus of this beat is on Memphis city government, politics is an key part of the job. The reporter will be our primary player on election coverage, especially for the Memphis mayor's race.
Memphis is a city of 600,000 people on the Mississippi River in southwest Tennessee, famous for the influential strains of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll that originated there. Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Johnny Cash recorded albums at the legendary Sun Studio, and Presley’s Graceland mansion is a popular attraction.
Responsibilities:
- Creates storytelling that accurately informs, entertains and engages specific audiences and platforms through the use of metrics.
- Works toward becoming the community’s leading voice in area of expertise.
- Promotes personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
- Report quickly, clearly and accurately and deliver news, via stories, video, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other methods available to reach our audience.
- Use metrics to inform story choices and shape beat strategies.
- Cultivates a beat, knowing the ins/outs of the city government/politics beat and its key players. Has a genuine interest in people and ability to build trust.
- Writes and/or produces multimedia content that appeals to key audience targets and maximizes user experience on digital and social platforms to reach readers where they spend their time and attention.
- Experiment with new ways of informing and engaging audiences on social platforms and be proficient in using alternate story forms.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's or master’s in agriculture, communications, journalism or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 5+years of writing/journalism/newsroom experience.
- Strong command of AP grammar and style.
- Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and "publication ready."
- Is passionate and enthusiastic about news and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms.
- Comfortable in fluid, fast-breaking, stressful situations.
- A desire to grow and develop a key beat in our newsrooms.
- Is comfortable using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to enhance reporting and promote stories.
- Understands reporting ethics and sourcing.
- Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital-first mission.
- Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories.
- This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
- Employment is contingent on passing a post-offer pre-employment background check, motor vehicle record check and drug screen.
We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:
#LI-CB1
#LI-OnSite
Other details
- Job Family Frontline Journalists
- Job Function Consumer
- Pay Type Hourly