Business First Louisville seeks business reporter

Business First, an American City Business Journals online and print news operation in Louisville, Ky., seeks an experienced reporter who is prepared to break news online in a fast-paced environment, write with deep context and clarity, become an authoritative voice on topics of interest to the business community, connect with readers via social media, and take photos and videos to accompany news reports. Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have strong traditional journalism skills, such as source building, sharp interviewing techniques, strong analytical and investigative reporting skills, and clear writing. Scoops matter. A lot. Only journalists who are competitive, collaborative and curious need apply.

Duties:

A Business First reporter’s top mission is to own his/her beat by writing authoritative content for use online, in print and via social media to ensure audience engagement. The main focus of this reporter position is covering publicly traded, Louisville-based restaurant companies; Louisville’s burgeoning locally owned restaurant scene; and retail developments and stores of all sizes. Specific duties include: – Writing and aggregating online reports every weekday; – Writing stories for and reshaping online reports for the weekly print edition; – Developing a constantly evolving content plan that includes breaking news, impact stories, small-business snapshots, people profiles as well as articles related to Business First research that appears on its lists; – Collaborating with editors, the photographer, designer and researcher about content development and photos/graphics to ensure top-quality reports with appropriate visuals; – Taking photos and videos when covering events and interviewing sources; – Using networking events, Twitter, LinkedIn and other resources to expand and fortify a source pool and audience.

Skills:

– Proven ability in reporting and writing; – Ability to work independently and, on occasion, remotely; – Ability to break news and to identify newsworthy events and sources; – Strong analytical and investigative interviewing skills; – Ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people, in person, on the phone and online, and to develop sources and audience; – Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure; – Ability to leverage relationships with sources to deliver compelling content.

Experience:

– Minimum of two years of experience;
– Experience with photography and videography a plus;
– Experience using social media to source and promote content is a plus;
– Knowledge of business and/or the Louisville business community also is a plus.

Contact:

Carol Timmons, Editor

ctimmons@bizjournals.com 502-583-1731

455 South Fourth Street, Suite 278, Louisville, KY 40202