The Austin American-Statesman/statesman.com, located in the 11th largest city in the country and part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking an intrepid transportation reporter with the curiosity and tenacity to dig deep into the city’s and region’s transit woes.
Our transportation reporter is someone who can take complicated issues of funding, construction and planning and help everyday people understand how it affects the roads they drive on, the buses they ride and the safety of their community. They’re equally as comfortable submitting a public records request for an eminent domain report as they are riding the bus or rail all day and chatting to passengers about their concerns over a route change, limited transit options or safety concerns. This reporter will produce a mixture of daily, enterprise and project work, all with a digital-first mentality. This could range from a quick hit on a detour to a watchdog project on just how much public money is being spent on transit projects. But no matter the story, people and their needs should be the very heart.
Responsibilities:
- Creates storytelling that accurately informs, entertains and engages specific audiences and platforms.
- Work toward becoming the community’s leading voice in area of expertise.
- Connects with the community through storytelling and outreach (social media, on camera, forums, community leadership, etc.).
- Provides thoughtful analysis of complex issues.
- Cultivate sources and keep a pulse on their beat.
- Produce a mix of daily, enterprise and in-depth articles.
- Work with editor to evaluate what’s working and what’s not and develop ongoing plans to better satisfy audience needs.
- Willingness and ability to work in a variety of story forms, from quick aggregations to enterprise coverage to watchdog projects.
- Incorporate digital journalism tools in day-to-day reporting, including basic digital photo and video, social media and other web-based journalism tools.
- Promotes personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
- Provides great customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Adept at taking photos and video and will file quickly across platforms: mobile, desktop and social media.
- Foundational SEO skills including headline and page title writing, and Google Trends.
- Strong command of AP grammar and style.
- Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and ready to be published.
- Is passionate and enthusiastic about news and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms.
- Comfortable in fluid, fast-breaking, stressful situations.
- A desire to grow and develop a key beat in our newsroom.
- Is comfortable using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to enhance reporting and promote stories.
- Understands reporting ethics and sourcing.
- Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital first mission.
- Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories.
- News often requires employees to work extended hours, evenings, weekends and holidays, sometimes unexpectedly. Employees are expected to attend in-person and cover government, stakeholder and other meetings held for transportation-related issues.
- This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:
- Your resume – one to two pages.
- A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job and demonstrates your reporting experience.
- Clips of your work.
For more details click here.