Austin daily seeks business/government reporter

The American-Statesman is looking for an experienced, driven reporter to cover the intersection of business and government. The position will focus on the real-world impacts of what happens when business and government interact – and especially what those real-world impacts mean for taxpayers’ money and for the state and local economy.

During the legislative session, this position is focused on what the business-related doings at the Texas Capitol mean for those of us who live here. During non-session times, the position is heavily enterprise-focused. Some of the past stories/issues this beat has taken on include the use of taxpayer incentives for private sector development, San Antonio’s attempts to become a solar energy hub and the risk of a statewide electricity shortage.

The right candidate will be someone with strong watchdog/investigative chops, someone who can deliver consistent enterprise journalism and who can find the stories that other reporters miss.

The right candidate will be comfortable telling stories in multiple ways across all our platforms, including digital, print and video – and they will be comfortable regularly blogging and building their brand through social media.

The ideal candidate will also be able to communicate clearly with co-workers and managers, and be able to understand how their work – and their beat – fits into the bigger picture both of the Statesman’s business team and the newsroom as a whole.

Teamwork, adaptability and personal responsibility are core values on the Statesman’s business reporting team. We value reporters who are self-motivated, who seek out new challenges and who consistently hone their craft and learn new skills.

Research and write accurate, timely, balanced, comprehensive, fair and unbiased news, news feature and feature stories on a daily, deadline basis for the newspaper, its website and publishing partners such as CoxNet. Generate compelling, practical story ideas that lead to publication. Develop and maintain sources that provide current and highly reliable information for publication. Work cooperatively with photographers and graphic artists to produce the visuals that accompany stories. Work shifts may include days, nights and weekends. Beat allows work primarily on self-directed assignments and schedule

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.