The Philadelphia Inquirer seeks a general assignment reporter – business desk

The Business Desk at The Philadelphia Inquirer is seeking a general assignment reporter to jump on the story of the day. This job will put you in the middle of the biggest Business stories of the moment, from major breaking news events and bubbling controversies, to emerging trends and viral moments.

We’re looking for a reporter who doesn’t wait for the news to come to them. The Business reporter will comb business and industry reports and journals for local angles, public documents for private/public partnerships, and social media for impending fads and conversation starters. Along the way, the reporter will likely develop subspecialties and mini-beats that serve our readers and allow for deeper reporting. We want applicants who know how to balance sharp news judgment with willingness to pursue new story forms and nontraditional stories.

Above all, we’re looking for a reporter who wants to be in the middle of the conversation (or be the one who starts it), ensuring that our coverage reflects what people are thinking and talking about right now.

What You’ll Do:

• You’ll report on breaking news across various business topics, collaborating when needed with reporters on the team and across the newsroom.
• You’ll keep an eye out for the second-day story on the first day.
• You’ll identify what Philadelphians are talking across social media platforms and bring those conversations to our readers.
• You’ll aggregate news stories that affect our region, with an eye on how to move that story forward.
• You’ll routinely use different story forms and approaches— aggregations, explainers, takeaways, visual stories and service journalism — to help our audiences better understand complex topics.
• Use social media both as a reporting tool and as a venue for promoting work and communicating with readers.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Ability to generate creative story ideas related to Business topics. The ideal candidate will start each day with a few ideas for what we should cover.
• Knowledge of the Philadelphia region, including the area’s biggest employers and public companies.
• A versatile reporter with a experience covering a wide range of topics
• A reporter who doesn’t just think of a story in terms of word count, but how that story can best be told
• A reporter who likes to experiment with voice and tone
• Attention to detail and excellent written and oral communication skills
• A reporter who is willing to approach newsgathering in a variety of ways, from picking up the phone and going to the scene to scouring social media and diving into data.
• Ability to meet deadlines and adapt in a daily, unpredictable news environment. This reporter will produce multiple stories per week (and sometimes per day, depending on the volume of news).
• Demonstrated ability to break out of traditional story formats

For further information click here.