Content Producer
Tell the Stories That Matter Most to Your Community
Your work can make a real difference here.
In a smaller market, local journalism is personal. It’s about more than headlines — it’s about helping a community stay informed, feel connected, and understand the people and issues shaping daily life.
At Hearst Newspapers, we’re looking for a curious, driven Content Producer who wants to do meaningful work in a place where strong journalism truly matters. This is an opportunity to be at the center of a community’s conversations — covering breaking news, uncovering important stories, and building trust with the people you serve.
If you’re energized by local reporting, excited to be part of a collaborative newsroom, and motivated by the idea of making a visible impact, we want to hear from you.
The Role
As a Content Producer, you’ll cover the stories, people, and issues that matter most in the community. You’ll report on breaking news, attend meetings and events, build local sources, and develop enterprise stories that add depth and accountability.
In a smaller market, this role is both important and highly visible. You won’t just be filing stories — you’ll be helping readers understand what’s happening around them and why it matters.
This is a hands-on role for someone who is naturally curious, comfortable working in a fast-moving environment, and excited to be deeply connected to the community they cover.
What You’ll Do
Cover the community with urgency and purpose
- Report on breaking news, local developments, and key community issues
- Attend meetings, events, and public forums to stay close to the story
- Write quickly and clearly for digital and print platforms
Develop strong, meaningful local coverage
- Build relationships with sources across the community
- Identify stories that reflect the concerns, values, and character of the region
- Produce enterprise stories that go beyond the daily headline
Help strengthen the local news report
- Collaborate with editors, photographers, and other newsroom teammates
- Contribute story ideas and bring energy to daily coverage planning
- Use digital tools, social media, and audience insights to better reach readers
What You Bring
- Reporting experience in a newsroom, publication, or relevant media setting
- Strong writing, interviewing, and newsgathering skills
- Good news judgment and the ability to work under deadline
- Curiosity, initiative, and a genuine interest in local communities
- A collaborative mindset and willingness to jump in where needed
- Comfort with digital storytelling and audience-focused journalism
You ask good questions.
You build trust.
You understand that local stories can have lasting impact.
Why This Role Matters
In a smaller market, the connection between a newsroom and its community is immediate and real.
Your reporting can inform residents, spotlight issues that deserve attention, and help people feel more connected to where they live. This is a chance to do journalism that is seen, felt, and valued — and to grow your career in a role where your work has everyday relevance.
If you believe local journalism still matters deeply, this is the kind of role where you can prove it.
Our Commitment to You
At Hearst Newspapers, we support our employees through professional development and comprehensive wellbeing benefits, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Competitive retirement plan with matching
- Generous paid time off and paid parental leave
- Dependent care reimbursement
- Mental wellness support
- Inclusive healthcare benefits
- Pet wellness reimbursement
Apply
Ready to tell stories that matter where it matters most?
Submit your resume, cover letter, and writing samples.
Your next story starts here.
Hearst Midwest Media Group’s features seven dominant newspaper brands in Michigan and Illinois – covering the communities of Midland, Huron, Big Rapids, Manistee, Alton, Edwardsville, and Jacksonville. The mixture of daily and weekly publications, and network of go-to websites provide hyper-local coverage, entertainment, and a serious journalistic commitment to watchdog and investigative reporting that impacts the areas they serve. In addition to its journalism, the organization provides innovative, unique advertising and marketing solutions for local and regional businesses to grow and succeed.
About Hearst Newspapers:
With 2,500 employees across the nation, HNP represents a network of 24 daily and 52 weekly publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union, several top digital-only news and lifestyle sites, marketing services businesses, and entertainment businesses such as King Features Syndicate. At HNP, we are investing in new and innovative ways to tell stories–growing newsrooms, diversifying tools, evolving platforms–to support the millions of people who trust us each month to help them make decisions, take action and be inspired.
Be a part of something bigger–Your Headline Awaits
In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in the state of Illinois. The reasonable estimate, if hired in Illinois is $35,360. Please note this information is specific to those hired in Illinois. If this role is open to candidates outside of Illinois, the salary range would be aligned to that specific location. A final decision on the successful candidate’s starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications, and education.
Skills Required
- Reporting experience in a newsroom, publication, or relevant media setting
- Strong writing, interviewing, and newsgathering skills
- Good news judgment and ability to work under deadline
- Curiosity, initiative, and genuine interest in local communities
- Collaborative mindset and willingness to jump in where needed
- Comfort with digital storytelling and audience-focused journalism
- Ability to build relationships with sources and identify enterprise story ideas
Hearst Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Hearst and has not been reviewed or approved by Hearst.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical plan choice, full in-network preventive coverage, dental and vision, telemedicine, prescription coverage, and fertility resources. Mental-health resources and other wellbeing services (e.g., therapy sessions, crisis support, virtual physical therapy, and chronic-condition programs) further strengthen the health offering.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as meaningful through a 401(k) plan with company matching and Hearst covering plan administration fees. Performance bonuses are also noted as available in some roles, adding an additional rewards component beyond base pay.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits include paid holidays, paid sick days, and vacation time with a commonly cited annual range, alongside paid parental leave and family medical leave. A remote work program and flexibility signals are also included as part of the overall rewards experience.
Hearst Insights
What We Do
Hearst is a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; transportation assets including CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; 33 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California, which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York); more than 300 magazines around the world, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Men's Health and Car and Driver, and digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital entertainment companies such as Complex Networks.
