LNP | LancasterOnline is looking for a Statehouse Reporter to join our team! The statehouse reporter, working at the direction of the Harrisburg bureau chief for The Caucus and LNP | LancasterOnline, covers policy and politics in both houses of Pennsylvania’s bicameral Legislature, the states many departments, agencies, boards and commissions, as well as the governor’s office. The statehouse reporter provides a mix of daily, short-term and long-term investigative stories for the twice-monthly Caucus newspaper and LNP | LancasterOnline, which are published by parent company LNP Media Group.
Essential Job Functions (Full Description):
The statehouse reporter collaborates with other members of the Harrisburg Bureau and with reporters and editors in the Lancaster newsroom on story ideas and group reporting projects. The statehouse reporter also helps LNP | LancasterOnline cover legislative and congressional races in Lancaster County and occasionally contributes other political reporting on the county level, including political party endorsements, primary and general election campaigns, campaign finance, election activities and Election Day coverage.
Reporters for LNP Media Group exercise strong news judgment and news-gathering capabilities to provide up-to-the-minute information across the company’s digital platforms and insightful, contextual and analytical journalism for The Caucus and LNP | LancasterOnline. Reporters are expected to develop authoritative sources in the community, collaborate with other Caucus, LNP and LancasterOnline journalists and identify stories that are compelling to this community news organizations audience. Reporters are also expected to meet the demands of a growing digital audience by routinely using social media, shooting photographs and video, and understanding how to post their work using a content-management system.
Reporting
- Organizes materials, determines focus and writes stories according to prescribed editorial style and format standards, both for the newspaper and online.
- Makes use of all available tools to generate accurate, timely and compelling content and may be required to do so with a digital-first mentality; with attention to both detail and deadlines.
- Builds expertise in a particular beat through research, experience and growing a network of relevant contacts in the community.
- Regularly curates and aggregates content from other sources and presents them to our audience with additional commentary or explanation.
Digital & social media
- Tracks metrics and conversations on the materials they’ve created to optimize results and shape future work toward that audience.
- Strives to keep our organization at the leading edge of online, mobile and social-network use and innovation.
- Actively builds a social media presence, which includes not just posting content, but also engaging with our audience.
- Thinks visually as well as verbally: Takes photos and shoots/edits video to accompany stories as needed.
- Takes responsibility for his or her own content, in terms of posting it online and subsequently being an aggressive marketer of that content across all relevant platforms.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, mass communications or related field is required, with a proven knowledge and experience working with current media creation tools and contemporary newsroom systems, producing digital and print content, preferred.
- May be required to meet AP writing style, depending on the publication.
- Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure.
- Must be able to work nights and weekends as necessary.
- Team player who enjoys a fast-paced work environment.
- Wishes to work in a business environment in which every employee seeks to be great every day.
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