Washington Biz Journal seeks an economic development reporter

Washington Business Journal is hiring a reporter to cover economic development in one of the most dynamic business communities in the country.

Economic development is one of the most important beats in the region, which is experiencing explosive growth. This reporter will be charged with owning coverage of significant real estate projects, government economic development shenanigans, affordable housing initiatives, and the characters involved in all of it.

Other important coverage areas include workforce and job access, transportation and traffic issues, and other challenges of growth.

A Business Journal reporter is expected to break news ahead of the competition, build a solid pipeline of enterprise ideas and relentlessly grow their source base.

Our content gives our audience a leg up on their competitors, connects them with decision-makers and delineates growth strategies that work from those that don’t.

The Business Journal writes and reports stories that readers can’t find elsewhere and are willing to pay for.

The ideal candidate:
• Is driven to dig up and report important stories
• Knows the value of a wide and deep network of sources
• Is a self-starter who is open to collaboration
• Writes with authority and flair
• Understands or is willing to learn the vernacular of economic development topics
• Has a voice on social media and willing to engage readers on LinkedIn
• Is comfortable with virtual work software such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Zoom; and
• Can effectively mine data and public records

Duties
• Report and write short-form and long-form stories for the website and weekly print edition.
• Own the beat, dictating day-to-day coverage and thriving on digging out source-driven exclusives.
• Relentlessly develop sources and manage relationships with high-level executives and other community leaders.
• Scoop competitors on every story of any significance, not only telling them what happened, but why and how.

Skills
• Desire and ability to break news and to identify newsworthy events and sources
• Strong analytical and investigative-interviewing skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people, in person, on the phone and online.
• A clear drive to develop sources and build audience.
• Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure.
• Ability to leverage relationships with sources to deliver content that differentiates the organization from competitors.
• Multimedia skills, including video, photos, broadcast, on-camera, helpful.

Experience
• 3-4 years reporting in a newsroom
• Track record in the news business of building, maintaining and engaging an audience in print and online.
• Social media mavens held in high regard.

Education
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

To apply, click on this link for Economic Development Reporter