Reporter

Reporter - The Gazette

Location:  Cedar Rapids, IA

Summary:  General assignment reporter to cover Mount Pleasant and Henry County, Iowa. This beat is focused on school board, board of supervisors, city council meetings as well as topical features on the people, places and events of Henry County. This reporter should expect to cover a mix of county assignments, including government, business and feature stories in a county or other geographic area; health care, environment, business and K-12 education. Gathers and writes a variety of news and features stories focused on these areas and works to engage the community in innovative ways. Reporter should be comfortable writing regionally focused enterprise stories, localized and people-focused government stories and be able to juggle daily deadlines with enterprise assignments.  Our reporters write five-plus stories per week plus news release rewrites and briefs, including a mix of breaking news, enterprise and features. You’ll work on multiple stories simultaneously and can jump between projects easily. We’re looking for a candidate that has solid news judgment and is someone that finds themselves asking why or how, in addition to just telling readers what.

Responsibilities:  

• Strong understanding of putting complex topics into context and writing clearly and concisely. Tracks trends on topical areas and develops and cultivates sources (i.e. people, records, databases, etc.) across a government, business and other regional interests.

• Uses public records, open records requests and data to supplement reporting; understands basic spreadsheet and data analysis. 

• Monitors public agendas of government bodies and writes about the events, explaining the impacts through the eyes of those impacted. Works to anticipate major storylines and present coverage that frames those discussions.

• Maintains a list of story ideas relevant to readers with emphasis on original enterprise stories that set an agenda for the city, county and region. Takes ownership of assigned beat and becomes the newsroom's go-to resource on that coverage area.

• Understands digital mindset and uses analytics and metrics to extend reach of work.

• Uses solid news judgment, strong writing skills to frame stories to regional audiences.

• Contributes photos and video as needed and coordinates with the visuals team.

• Passionate about explainer-style reporting and uses alternative story forms, newsletter and podcasts  to effectively tell stories and engage audiences. Our reporters answer the questions why and how – not just what.

• Comfortable hosting/moderating in-person and online panel discussions as required. We annually produce an Iowa Ideas conference, featuring community discussions of issues affecting Iowans

• Uses social media and newsletters to help build audiences.

• Demonstrates proficiency in using existing and new tools to gather, display and report content and present news in context. 

• Adheres to all professional and company policies and ethical standards.

Job skills & attributes:  Ideal candidate will be a flexible, self-motivated, creative go-getter and problem solver who works well on a team with varying abilities. Must display technical aptitude and have strong ability to write and report well and distill complex subjects into understandable, accessible elements. Must have empathy and toughness and be a good listener.  Must work well with others and be attentive to follow-up with sources and customers. Basic video and photography skills required. Is curious about the world around them and wants to explain that world to readers.

Minimum Requirements: Undergraduate degree in journalism, English or related course of study. Must have a valid driver's license and history of safe driving habits and a reliable vehicle. Must demonstrate ability to work quickly and accurately and must have ideas on how to present news in an ever-changing media landscape. Approximately 2 to 5 years experience in a multimedia newsroom is required.

Salary: Regular/Hourly 37.5 hours per week. Salary range $42,000 to $45,000. Hybrid work environment with 3-4 days per week in office.

Benefits: This is a full-time position with benefits including paid time off, health, dental, vision and 401k.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.