Blue Sky Innovation, the Chicago Tribune’s online business vertical, is looking for a reporter-writer to join the team covering Chicago’s innovation economy, startup world and technology.
You’ll be out covering this world and writing frequent dispatches about it—dispatches that reflect the digital-first preferences and time constraints of our audience. You will be expected to cultivate sources, spot trends and topics for analysis, generate story ideas, work independently and also join with the Blue Sky team to create innovative ways to present information and tell stories on the web. The right candidate will become immersed in the topic, attending events, employing social media and consistently producing must-read content.
Responsibilities and required skills include but are not limited to:
- Aggressively reporting news, analysis and feature articles on a competitive beat. This includes cultivating sources and uncovering exclusive stories on newsworthy events and trends.
- Writing and filing articles, online and in print, on time with minimal to moderate supervision and editing. Taking initiative to fact-check, run background checks and confirm information before publication of those articles.
- Employing creativity every day to conceive stories, help identify photos to help tell the stories, get sources to cooperate, corroborate facts and present the information to readers in the most relevant, interesting way.
- Researching, reading and being an authority on business innovation content being produced by other sources, including other media, bloggers, professional organizations, universities, public institutions and more.
- Growing an area of specialty and making it as relevant and engaging as possible for the audience. Areas of specialty include business innovation, technology, business startups and entrepreneurs.
- Creating innovative ways to present information and tell stories on the web. Maximizing audience engagement with the site through use of various story-telling formats, including photo galleries, video, aggregation and a variety of layouts.
- Reporter must possess a competitive edge, creativity,
self-direction, good judgment, visual and Web skills, the ability to multitask
and meet deadlines, and desire to work as part of a team.
Qualifications for the position include:
- 3 to 5 years reporting experience; business reporting experience preferred.
- A strong command of the English language, commitment to accuracy, attention to detail, the ability to work and manage time with minimal supervision, and reporting and writing skills that conform to accepted journalistic techniques and the style of the publication or
platform - Ability to produce succinct stories on deadline and identify smart angels on culture and trends
- Strong social media presence; ability and desire to contribute across platforms including video and events
Interested? Please send your resume, clips and links to bluesky@tribune.com.
