Full-Time

Washington Biz Journal seeks a fed and tech reporter

The Washington Business Journal is hiring a reporter to cover the emerging and advanced tech that’s driving substantial growth for the region and underpinning one of its biggest local industries: national security, cybersecurity, cloud computing, quantum computing, AI and the federal contracting industry.

The DMV is rapidly becoming a hub for companies that work in these critical industries, as the federal government demands more tech expertise from the private sector, local universities and companies form new partnerships, billions of dollars flow to federal contractors large and small and local enterprises are snapped up in a flurry of M&A activity.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a tech reporter who is interested in narrowing their focus and writing about the next-generation innovation sitting at the intersection of the public, private and academic sectors — but is able to translate its impact to the everyday reader.

A Business Journal reporter is expected to break news ahead of the competition, build a solid pipeline of enterprise ideas and relentlessly grow their source base.

Our content gives our audience a leg up on their competitors, connects them with decision-makers and delineates growth strategies that work from those that don’t.

The Business Journal writes and reports stories that readers can’t find elsewhere and are willing to pay for.

The ideal candidate:
• Is driven to dig up and report important stories
• Knows the value of a wide and deep network of sources
• Is a self-starter who is open to collaboration
• Writes with authority and flair
• Has a basic knowledge of the tech vernacular
• Has a voice on social media and willing to engage readers on LinkedIn
• Is comfortable with virtual work software such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Zoom; and
• Can effectively mine data and public records

Duties
• Report and write short-form and long-form stories for the website and weekly print edition.
• Own the beat, dictating day-to-day coverage and thriving on digging out source-driven exclusives.
• Relentlessly develop sources and manage relationships with high-level executives and other community leaders.
• Scoop competitors on every story of any significance, not only telling them what happened, but why and how.

Skills
• Desire and ability to break news and to identify newsworthy events and sources
• Strong analytical and investigative-interviewing skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people, in person, on the phone and online.
• A clear drive to develop sources and build audience.
• Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure.
• Ability to leverage relationships with sources to deliver content that differentiates the organization from competitors.
• Multimedia skills, including video, photos, broadcast, on-camera, helpful.

Experience
• 3-4 years reporting in a newsroom
• Track record in the news business of building, maintaining and engaging an audience in print and online.
• Social media mavens held in high regard.

Education
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

To apply: https://bit.ly/3KvIqyh

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.

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