We’re hiring a business and development reporter to join our thriving local newsroom at 89.3 WFPL News, our city’s NPR affiliate.
Our city is at a turning point, and its ability to create and sustain economic wellbeing — business and corporate growth, consumer behavior, labor and workforce health, housing and real estate development — will determine Louisville’s future.
The mission of the business and development reporter is to explore the issues, people and places shaping the economy, change and labor in Louisville and the Metro area. Our audience includes decision-makers in the public and private sectors whose choices affect thousands of Louisvillians who depend on us to make informed choices about their lives. The stories this reporter tells will reach everyone from CEOs and entrepreneurs to those searching the web for links to utility assistance — and finding them at WFPL.org.
They will develop and stay current with key sources, information feeds and emerging issues to ensure that WFPL’s coverage of business and economic issues is timely, relevant and context-rich. The reporter should seek out sources involved in all aspects of their beat that live in all parts of our community. The reporter works as a part of the WFPL City Team under the direction of the City Editor. They will need to have or quickly develop deep knowledge of the varied stakeholders, institutions, officials and current and emerging issues around the economy and labor in the city and state.
They work with other WFPL editors and reporters to ensure accurate and relevant daily reporting across all LPM platforms. They cover press conferences, speeches and other events by public officials, and they collaborate with other beat reporters on daily and feature reporting when necessary. They comb databases, check in with sources and connect the dots across the breadth of their business and development beat.
This position will work a Monday through Friday shift. It also requires other weekend hours and occasional non-standard hours.
There’s no shortage of stories on this beat, but we’re also looking for someone who leads with empathy and curiosity. Our next colleague will challenge us to tell the stories of people in power and of those who have historically been denied it.
We’re looking for someone who is a good teammate. They will be expected to contribute to a positive and enriching work environment in the work they do and the way they do it.
What You’ll Do
- Foster an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion that upholds the organization’s values and strategic goals
- Produce daily and long-form journalism for all LPM platforms, including broadcast radio, the web, podcasts, occasional video, and social media
- Develop and maintain source networks
- Search public records and databases
- Fact-check and understand context
- Use community engagement best practices to tell stories with communities, not just about them.
- Develop skill at live interviewing
- Commit to diversity in coverage and building sources across diverse races, genders and abilities
What We’ll Do
- Compensate you at a range of $50,000 to $55,000 annually
- Invest in your professional growth through individual direction and training
- Keep you connected with our industry through conferences and professional associations
- Provide you an excellent benefits package that includes paid time off, health insurance and 401(k)
- Invite you into a culture that is supportive, transparent, experimental and accountable
- Continue our commitment to equity. WFPL is working through a three-year plan to improve upon the long-standing problems of racism in media.
- Welcome you to an inclusive newsroom that is eager to hear new and different perspectives and is dedicated to self-improvement.
Key Qualifications
- Minimum of 1 year of professional journalism experience, substantial internship experience or graduate school studies that demonstrate expertise in daily journalism
- Impeccable journalistic integrity and judgment
- Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently
- Broad interests in news, public affairs and policy
- Active social media posting as a journalist
Preferred Qualifications
- Participates in professional journalism groups and listservs, including public radio
- Stays on top of technology, nonprofit news and storytelling advances
- Public radio experience preferred
- Fluency in multiple languages preferred
If this is you, send a resume, three references and three work samples (stories or projects you’ve edited, or your three best clips as a reporter) to resume@louisvillepublicmedia.org. For audio work samples, please provide links (SoundCloud, podcasts, or other hosted audio), not attachments via email as your application may not be received. Then complete this questionnaire in lieu of a cover letter. Applications without completed forms will not be considered.
