Politics Reporter
The (Raleigh) News & Observer and The (Durham) Herald-Sun in North Carolina are looking for a smart, savvy reporter who loves state politics and investigating its impact on communities, policies and people.
The state politics reporter will research and write daily stories and deeper projects that examine the political and legislative scene in North Carolina. As a member of the state capital’s press corps, the reporter will hold elected leaders and public employees accountable -- through fact-checking, reporting with data, and collaborating with other reporters.
And in this volatile and important election year, the reporter will play a key role covering the races that decide who controls the state -- along with presidential candidate appearances throughout the politically significant state of North Carolina. Stories will explain what these candidates and their platforms mean for the most crucial issues in the region and the state: population growth, development, transportation, the environment.
This is not an entry-level position. Candidates must have past experience covering state government, politics, campaigns and/or elections. Candidates must currently hold a college degree. Fluency in other languages besides English is a plus.
The ideal candidate’s key attributes include:
- Strict ethics and dedication to high-quality journalism
- Ability to organize and prioritize work
- Fast, but accurate
- Excellent self-editing skills
- Keen instincts in pursuing stories that will resonate with readers
- Solid understanding of audience engagement, metrics and SEO
- Experience using social media both as a reporting and an engagement tool
- A collaborative personality and a track record of working well with editors as well as working independently
- True curiosity about politics and government
- Experience in building a diverse range of sources
- An aptitude to quickly learn technical skills inside the newsroom such as content management systems, social media platforms, audience engagement tools and more
Key duties include:
- Finding, prioritizing and writing the most significant and the most interesting government and politics stories of the day
- Obtaining public records and, when needed, filing public records requests expertly and efficiently
- Shooting photos and videos when needed
- Distributing work through social media platforms
- Supplying SEO keywords, headlines and other strategies to boost distribution of each story
- Meeting audience and reporting goals.
We’re moving quickly to fill this important position. Deadline for applications is Jan. 31, 2020.