The Bangor Daily News is looking for its next Outdoors Editor, the steward of a legendary beat in an iconic state for outdoors lovers.
It’s a rare and exciting opportunity for the right person. For decades, the BDN has hosted some of the country’s greatest outdoors writers. Since the days of BDN editor Bud Leavitt writing about his fishing trips with Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams, this role has been regional in focus, but national in reputation.
In many ways, the role is the same as it has been for decades. The outdoors editor solicits freelance material, writes stories and columns, and plans long-term coverage. But this position is also responsible for the growth and quality of the section, driving digital subscriptions, tracking trends in analytics, and breaking news that fulfills our civic mission.
You’ll be obsessed with building sources in the Maine outdoors who inform your coverage of the beat and help you break stories. Those could be bear hunting guides in Allagash, kayaking outfitters in Acadia National Park, bait shop employees in central Maine, fly fishing influencers on Instagram, or officials who tip you off to important rule changes or bills before the Legislature.
Maine is an outdoors mecca that is synonymous with traditional pursuits such as hunting, fishing and trapping. You’ll understand the history, but also have a clear sense of how these areas are changing. That means mastering the nuanced politics, policies and ethics around the topics you cover. What is climate change doing to our moose population and how should policy-makers respond? Should Maine allow Sunday hunting? What are the fair chase ethics of using technology to scout for deer? You’ll cover dams and relicensing issues, Atlantic salmon passage and the spread of invasive species moving into traditional coldwater fisheries.
If you’re the right person for this challenge, this is how we would describe you: You successfully hunt and fish and love to help others enjoy the outdoors, but you also have respect and reverence for passive recreation. You write with a clear voice and viewpoint. You know the major topics that resonate with digital outdoors audiences. You seek out controversial topics but also want to write stories that inspire and uplift. You work with urgency and enthusiasm. You have excellent critical thinking skills and a deep respect for the essential mission of journalism.
You’d be joining a large, and growing, statewide news organization in its fourth generation of local ownership. We believe that there’s a bright future for local newsrooms that invest in good journalism and put their audiences first. This role is a key and influential part of that plan.
If you think you might be our next great hire, please submit your resume, cover letter and three writing samples that demonstrate your voice as an outdoors writer to jdyer@bangordailynews.com.
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