The Houston Business Journal, a thriving and growing news organization, is looking for a full-time reporter to cover the money and sports business beat, covering some of the city’s most dynamic industries.
Our reporters must be competitive, nimble and driven to break news about the most important industries, companies and people in the region. They are expected to provide forward-looking business intelligence to savvy readers who will use it to grow their businesses and/or advance their careers. Our content gives them a leg up on their competitors, connects them with decision-makers and delineates growth strategies that work from those that don’t. This usually entails working our source networks and digging up news before it’s announced or readily available.
The ideal candidate will blend traditional journalism skills – source building, sharp news judgment, interviewing prowess and scoop-driven reporting – with online and social media know-how. Reporters in our newsroom don’t just turn in copy. They include videos, slideshows and other multimedia components that advance the story and further engage our audience. They break hard news that sometimes sources don’t want brought to light, but they don’t burn bridges.
Job Responsibilities:
- Contribute in-depth, timely and relevant daily news stories to be used across platforms.
- 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.
- Attend both Houston Business Journal and industry-related events, virtually for the time being and in-person once it’s possible.
- Reporters will be expected to facilitate/moderate at Business Journal events and must be comfortable in taking a leading role in the community.
- Meet or exceed goals relating to audience-engagement such as page views, unique users, repeat visits, direct traffic, social media followings and growth, paid print subscribership, email newsletter circulation growth, event attendance, and other such measures.
Skills and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
- 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.
To apply, go here.
Chris RoushChris 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.