The investigative lead reporter for electronics at Consumer Reports is expected to produce a steady stream of exclusive investigative and accountability enterprise stories regarding technology and digital privacy matters capable of commanding attention on all platforms.
Helps craft electronics content strategy for range of marketplace sectors and executes integrated marketing content. Utilizes expertise to generate unique ideas in order to create exclusive high impact technology & digital privacy stories that inspire, drive results, and achieve awareness.
Qualifications Include:
- Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of ten years of experience in multi-platform editorial for technology, business or consumer project journalism, including substantial record of top-level reporting and editing required.
- Must be an expert in the technology industry, supported by such growth opportunities as continuing-education courses, membership in professional associations, and involvement in industry/professional conferences.
- Strategic creative skills essential.
- Must demonstrate ability not only to conceptualize stories and special sections but also to attend to the details, and must possess a good visual sense.
- Must be able to work in self-directed capacity and to conceive and execute compelling multimedia content.
- Must be able to translate complex technical related information into well-written, well-organized informative content across multiple platforms.
- Ability to manage and lead in a cross-organizational capacity required.
- A thorough knowledge of digital privacy and the technology industry are required.
- Must be able to read and follow technical literature for new developments in policies and technology-related practices for content ideas and implement ideas in new and innovative formats.
- High level of competence in all aspects of reviewing and creating accurate and compelling stories across all platforms.
- Highly skilled in collecting and interpreting all data, internal and external, to create the most accurate and in context story possible.
- Ability to smoothly transition writing styles from hard news to expository review to opinionated blog.
Key Responsibilities:
- Stay abreast of technology & digital privacy news, trends and changing landscape to regularly provide compelling high-impact newsworthy story ideas. Partners on crafting promotions that attract a wide audience.
- Writes high impact complex feature-length articles regarding technology topics, including investigative pieces, based as needed on reports, surveys, government studies and other data, including technical reports, and/or interviews with experts, consultants, high-level regulatory officials, industry executives, consumers and other sources of information.
- Work with top editors to create a steady supply of unique, sophisticated, technology & digital privacy reports based on the reporter’s expertise.
- Act as initial editor for electronics projects, stories, or departments written by more-junior reporters or freelancers and see them through the planning, reporting, editing, and production process, incorporating changes by related parties, copy-fitting, and conferring with art and production accordingly.
- Actively participate as a member of the Electronics Content Development Team, conferring with other editorial staffers, engineers, and analysts as necessary to direct coverage across the organization’s various media products.
- Participate in planning and scheduling process for electronics content, conferring with other departments as needed for development of story components such as surveys, questionnaires, and test protocols.
- Serve as mentor to more-junior staffers. Guide our electronics team of experienced journalists in conceiving and executing ambitious, original and creative stories.
- Conceive and execute high-quality, well-reported, in-depth long-form technology & digital privacy content for all CR digital platforms; develop strategy with digital editors, social media team, and distribution partners to optimize content for search and social.
- Monitor and engage with multiple social platforms for intelligence gathering and direct engagement regarding technology issues. Optimizes electronics content for maximum exposure in social channels.
- Conceptualize and generate large scale original cross-platform technology content and coordinates efforts around multiplatform content initiatives.
- Conduct large scale enterprise investigative technology & digital privacy reporting. Consults with writers on investigative reporting assignments including concept development, sources, substance and direction.
- Analyze and interpret complex technological events and policies to create unique content. Research and analyze background information related to stories in order to be able to provide complete and accurate information in unique and original ways.
- Proactively follows and reports on electronics categories ensuring content is relevant, cutting-edge and addresses consumer needs in a proactive way.
- Maintain and develop new source contacts. Ensure technical accuracy and completeness of story substance.
- Serve as both in-house technology & digital privacy expert and CR electronics representative for media outreach and public events.
- Serve as on-camera electronics subject-matter expert for all CR video platforms; may be asked to execute rough drafts of video scripts.
- Edit the work of other writers in electronics for publication on multiple platforms; advise other writers on best practices for digital content production.
- Attend trade shows and other industry events as needed to stay abreast of trends and best practices.
To apply, go here.
