Crain’s Chicago seeks a general assignment reporter

Crain’s Chicago Business is seeking a General Assignment Reporter to join one of the most competitive and creative newsrooms in the city.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced journalist who is familiar with Chicago, its economy and key players. The editors are looking for a self-starter who can cultivate sources, develop their own story ideas and write authoritatively on a wide range of subjects.

Crain’s reporters generate daily digital stories as well as print stories based on the news of the day and broader trends, finding fresh angles to stories that the competition doesn’t. We value premium content – breaking news, enterprise and analysis that readers can’t find anywhere else. Experience covering Chicago business and/or government is valued.

Crain’s staff is currently working remotely but this reporter will be working in our downtown Chicago office once we are back in the newsroom.

What we’re looking for:

• The most important ability in this role is to be able to report and write general-assignment breaking news stories on tight deadlines, filing clean, accurate copy that can be published online quickly with minimal editing.
• This reporter is often asked to write stories of four to 10 grafs extremely quickly, sometimes in a half-hour or less, on a variety of beats or topics.
• A willingness to jump in and help with whatever is needed on a given day or in a given week. That could involve helping another reporter or editor with research, fact-checking, etc. Story assignments also can vary widely for this position, touching any beat in the newsroom.
• The ability to quickly establish a rapport with people and the research skills to seek expert sources.
• An ability to anticipate and seek out art (photos or graphics) needed for stories. If you can take your own photos on occasion, great.
• A familiarity with Crain’s Chicago Business, and an understanding of who our readers are and what our mission is in terms of providing useful information to the Chicago business community.
• An ability to see a story, or an aspect of a story, that we may have missed and pitch/suggest it to the editors.
• A desire to find and fill a niche in our newsroom, identifying a sliver of a beat we haven’t covered and making it your own.

Basic Qualifications:

• At least three years of experience working in a newsroom environment.                            
• Evidence of strong reporting, interviewing, and editing skills.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines.
• A keen eye for detail and an ability to keep organized. Juggling several stories at once won’t faze you.
• Must be able to work 9-5 Monday-Friday, with the flexibility to occasionally cover early-morning or evening events.
• In your cover letter, provide at least one story idea you would pitch to us.

To apply, go here.