Indianapolis Biz Journal seeks an economic development reporter

The Indianapolis Business Journal is looking for an aggressive, thoughtful and analytical reporter to cover economic development and state government issues, a beat that includes some politics coverage at the Statehouse but is more focused on the state’s economy, job creation efforts, business regulatory policies, university development and more.

We’re looking for someone who can dabble in politics – including serving as co-author with our city government reporter of our award-winning weekly newsletter The Rundown – but also dig deep on stories about government incentives, infrastructure, growth policies, workforce development and related issues.

IBJ is a locally owned news organization that focuses on coverage of and for the business community—but we interpret business broadly. In fact, we view our role in part as covering the intersection of business and politics and therefore dedicate several people to covering state and local government.

Our primary coverage area is central Indiana, but we are increasingly looking at economic development as a statewide issue. We are seeking a reporter who will write about the biggest economic issues facing Indiana with depth and finesse.

During Indiana’s part-time legislative session, we look for stories of interest to the business community overall and to specific industries including technology, manufacturing, construction and real estate, utilities and more. And during campaign season, we strive to tell the business community what they need to know about the candidates’ positions on growth, regulation and other business issues.

IBJ has a newsroom of 18 reporters, editors and artists who cover technology, real estate, banking, tourism, manufacturing, philanthropy, life sciences and government. We publish a weekly printed paper and produce significant daily coverage at IBJ.com that is distributed through more than a dozen email newsletters (two of them sent daily and others—including The Rundown—sent weekly). Our newsroom also includes three staffers from Inside INdiana Business, another brand of our parent company IBJ Media. We also coordinate coverage with The Indiana Lawyer, a statewide IBJ Media organization that covers legal issues statewide.

Job Requirements

• Experience with both breaking news and enterprise stories.
• Ability to work independently and generate story ideas.
• Curiosity about  government and business issues.
• Experience promoting stories and reporting with social media.
• Fast, thorough writing.

IBJ offers a chance to work in an affordable capital city with a metro area population of more than 2 million people but in a smaller newsroom with plenty of opportunity to make a big impact. In Indianapolis, you will find professional sports, world class museums and performance venues, and neighborhoods filled with great restaurants, bike trails and parks.

Our offices are located on the city’s historic Monument Circle—the literal and figurative heart of Indianapolis, just blocks from stadiums, the Statehouse, the Mayor’s Office and much more. Our commutes are short, our public transportation is expanding and our city and suburbs are thriving.

If you’re a reporter who can uncover compelling stories about the economy, jobs and government, send a resume, cover letter and examples of breaking news stories and enterprise to Editor Lesley Weidenbener at lweidenbener@ibj.com and Managing Editor Samm Quinn at squinn@ibj.com.

IBJ Media is an equal opportunity employer, and our goal is to develop a diverse pool of candidates for this and all positions.