Oregon Public Broadcasting seeks a food & agriculture reporter/producer

OPB is expanding news coverage on two of Oregon’s most important industries – production of food and its distribution. We’re hiring a Food and Agriculture Reporter/Producer who is curious about where the food we consume comes from, inspired to know more about the lives of the people who produce it and determined to help our audiences understand the impact climate change is making on this critical industry. A strong candidate will have covered agriculture or food economy in the past or must be very familiar with the Pacific Northwest region and experienced in enterprise reporting. This position will travel across Oregon and Southwest Washington to build sources and tell stories of food production and distribution that help our audiences understand this critical and fast-changing field and how it both impacts and is impacted by other urgent topics, including climate change, immigration policy and trade.

Through your work and with the support of an editor you’ll be able to cover a food and agriculture in a way which can invite new audiences and continue our mission to give voice to the community, connect Oregon and its neighbors, and illuminate a wider world.

Position Details

This Reporter/Producer produces high quality enterprise and breaking news stories for OPB that appear on multiple platforms and consistently meet daily deadlines, as well as ethical, technical, legal and aesthetic standards. This involves daily research, writing, online filing, photography, voicing and production. The bulk of this reporter/producer’s newsgathering efforts will focus on food production and the agricultural industry in Oregon and Southwest Washington. This position will be part of the OPB news department’s climate and environment team, and their storytelling will focus on food and agriculture through the lens of climate change.

Responsibilities:

80% – The reporter/producer reports, writes and produces breaking and enterprise news stories on multiple platforms, including audio and digital, focused on business and the economy. Those other duties include scheduling and conducting interviews and planning future news coverage related to the beat, recording and editing material using digital audio tools, using social media for information gathering and engagement and taking photos.

10% – Participate in local news programming by appearing as a guest on shows like Think Out Loud or being debriefed by an on-air host. Support efforts to include other local voices in OPB’s on-air programming.

5% – Produces reports for national news programs and newscasts, as assigned and with approval of supervising editor.

5% – Other duties as assigned, including participating in fundraising and outreach functions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Journalism or related field or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this position.
• 3 years of journalism experience
• Experience developing and maintaining a beat.
• Enterprise reporting experience.
• Ability to develop and maintain sources.
• Strong writing and interviewing skills.
• Familiarity with photography, audio, video and social media in the presentation of news stories.
• Passion for covering the food economy through the lens of climate change.
• Commitment to high ethical standards in reporting.
• Ability to file live reports and participate in breaking news.
• Enthusiasm for the mission of OPB.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism.
• Experience using digital audio recording and editing equipment.
• Experience covering food and agriculture or climate change and the environment.
• Bilingual in English and another language.
• An eye for diverse voices and sources in stories.
• Photography or video production skills.

Salary: OPB has set a hiring range of $63,000-$73,000 for a candidate that meets the above described qualifications and years of experience.

How to Apply: For application instructions, please visit OPB’s careers page. You will be asked to create an account, upload your cover letter and resume and answer a few position related questions. Once you click “submit” you cannot make changes to your application.

Your application materials are due by 8:59 PM Pacific Time on August 28, 2023

For more details click here.