Alabama paper seeks business and development reporter

The Opelika-Auburn News, a division of Lee Enterprises, is seeking a savvy Business and Development Reporter to cover growth and expansion in a booming college town with vigor and eagerness.

We’re looking for a journalist with experience in covering breaking news, explaining to readers why things matter to them, and mining social media for local trends and story ideas. A huge part of this job is building strong relationships with sources, including government officials, developers and contractors, bankers, small business owners, Auburn University alumni who regularly return to town for weekends, and citizens wondering what’s being planned for that vacant lot in their neighborhood.

Topics of particular interest in our community include home prices and new developments, off-campus student housing and condos, openings and closings of retail stores and restaurants, the success stories of local small businesses, Auburn University building projects, and the economic importance of AU football.

This position involves a wide variety of writing, including breaking news reports, explanatory writing, data journalism, narrative storytelling and investigative reporting. The ideal candidate will have a desire to write for readers instead of for sources, and a mindset that focuses on people instead of process.

Qualifications

A Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Mass Communications, Strategic Communications or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least two years’ experience at a smaller newspaper, or comparable experience at another media company or online news outlet.
Solid news judgment and the ability to recognize a good story.
Comfort using social media with the ability to use it to figure out what’s happening and to engage with people.
The ability to shoot serviceable photos and videos that can accompany written stories or stand alone as multi-media stories.
Team player with solid interpersonal and communication skills.

To apply, go here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.