Forth Worth Star-Telegram seeks a biz and econ development reporter

Fort Worth is growing by 20,000 people a year and is home to major employers such as Lockheed Martin, Bell helicopter, American Airlines and a number of hospital systems. Yet the burden of property taxes falls disproportionately on residential property owners, and our economy is heavily driven by lower-paying retail, entertainment and service industries. Some fear it’s only a matter of time until Fort Worth and Tarrant County are merely considered bedroom communities for Dallas.

The business/economic development reporter tracks our major industries and our community’s efforts to bring more high-paying jobs and tax-paying industries to Fort Worth and Tarrant County. This includes news about new or potential economic development projects, our community’s strategies to attract and retain high-paying jobs, what businesses are growing, who is hiring or laying off, who is benefitting from the development and who is not,  and issues regarding workforce development/preparedness. The beat includes downtown development and redevelopment, as well.

The businesses/economic development reporter is a part of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab, a group of reporters funded through philanthropic partnerships to examine our community’s challenges and opportunities with a goal of raising awareness and engagement around matters key to the success of our community and the entirety of its diverse population, with an emphasis on solutions-based reporting. This position is currently funded for at least one year with plans to extend funding beyond that. 

This reporter will provide thoroughly reported enterprise stories regarding business and economic development issues while also tracking breaking news and day-to-day developments related to the beat. 

Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and is the 13th largest city in the United States. Its population is diverse, with about 35% of the population Hispanic or Latino, over 18% Black and about 5% Asian, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Star-Telegram is committed to better representing the diverse North Texas communities we cover and to building an inclusive newsroom for staffers of all backgrounds. We encourage members ofhistorically underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.

Fort Worth is an amazing city, where you can watch cattle drives with the tourists at the historic Stockyards or enjoy world-class theater, art museums and dining. We may be one of the largest cities in the nation, but you’ll find the people here are remarkably friendly and you can still get a beer for about $3. And then there’s the barbecue. Don’t even get us started on the barbecue.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong writing and reporting skills and excellent news judgment
• Unwavering commitment to accurate, ethical journalism
• Fluency in the science of readership and engagement, including an understanding of metrics/analytics programs including Parse.ly and Crowdtangle and development of story ideas derived from data and trends in reader habits.
• Understanding of SEO, headline writing and other optimization opportunities and a demonstrated ability to learn new skills in social and digital.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism. The new workflows require constant conversations between reporters and editors and between reporters and their audience as a story evolves.
• Understanding of open records law and ability to file, manage and oversee requests pertinent to beat work.
• Ability to engage with readers and develop sources on social media platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Ability to develop breadth and variety of sources.
• Ability to understand audience lenses and correctly identify audience for selected stories.
• Ability to work on both daily and enterprise stories concurrently, delivering both with consistency.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to capture photos and record video and edit it (using phone).
• Ability to work collaboratively in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation and always evolving

Education and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field
• Two years of business reporting experience in a digital-first news environment and fluency in English and Spanish preferred

What we’ll bring:
McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on well-being and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. For more information on McClatchy’s benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.

To apply:

Please submit a cover, resume and four to five samples of your best reporting to the application link below.

To apply, go here.