Idaho paper seeks ag and business reporter

South-central Idaho’s largest news provider is seeking a reporter ready to jump into covering one of our signature beats: agriculture, environment and business in the Magic Valley.

We are an ag-centric area that includes dairies, sugar beets and, yes, potatoes. Chobani built the world’s largest yogurt factory here, and Clif Bar opened its first in-house bakery here.

Along with traditional agriculture stories, be prepared to cover stories on food innovation, the dairy industry and the area’s flora and fauna.

This position is the perfect job for newer journalists working to become solid beat reporters or veterans who just want to tell great stories. We have an experienced editing staff, and the Times-News can be a training ground and stepping stone for ambitious journalists.

We’re a mid-size paper that punches above its weight, covering some of the biggest stories in the state. We balance being first and accurate with breaking news, but also prioritize making time for reporters to work on long-term projects and enterprise reporting.

We cover many areas with lots of Spanish speakers, so we’d love a candidate with Spanish skills.

To be successful in this job:

You’ll balance telling deep stories about local agriculture with breaking Chobani’s latest yogurt flavor produced at the Twin Falls plant.

You have a nose for news, sparkling clean writing and the skills to craft a lead that grabs readers and an ending that leaves them thinking about your story hours later.

You’ll take a video with almost every story and be comfortable using social media to promote stories.

You’re full of ideas, self-motivated, innovative and creative.

You manage multiple daily deadlines and multiple priorities while maintaining professionalism in the workplace.

You have a year or more of reporting experience at a daily or weekly, or you’re an exceptional exception to this.

You have a bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field or have equivalent experience.

The Magic Valley has a population of about 185,000. We are a family friendly and affordable community with access to world-class skiing, and the best trout stream in the West an hour drive from your front door, not to mention access to kayaking, hiking, biking, rock climbing and hunting in all directions.

Downtown Twin Falls is growing with new restaurants and shops opening all the time. We are a two-hour drive from Boise and three hours from Salt Lake City.

The Times-News is owned by Lee Enterprises. It offers a competitive salary, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits, vacation, sick, holiday pay and 401K-retirement plan.

To apply, log on to www.magicvalley.com/workhere. Attach a cover letter, resume and three or four work samples that demonstrate a record of success. Applications without these items will not be considered.

We are a drug-free workplace, and all applicants considered for employment must pass a post-offer drug screen and background check prior to commencing employment. We are an equal opportunity employer