Friday WSJ seeks entertainment reporter

Eben Shapiro, the weekend Journal editor at The Wall Street Journal, sent the following query to the staff on Wednesday:

Friday Journal is looking for a reporter to chronicle the cultural side of the entertainment industry, writing in-depth cover stories, as well as articles for inside the section.

The ideal candidate should excel at crafting long-form features, combining detailed, observant reporting with vivid writing. He or she should also be able to cultivate sources on a highly competitive beat populated with a menagerie of wild egos. A crucial attribute: being able to craft story ideas which go beyond bogus, shallow trends and instead offer fresh insight.

The job doesn’t require deep prior knowledge of the inner workings of the entertainment industry. It’s more important to have a voracious appetite for popular culture—from “Downton Abbey” to Snooki—and a shrewd eye for how it reflects society and society reflects back. (Any entertainment story, of course, has business underpinnings, and this person would be expected to get up to speed quickly on the deal-making and economics as well as what’s on the screen.)

 We are looking for a reporter who can write for all parts of the paper, from breaking news to a-heds. Many of the stories we pursue are behind-the-scenes narratives showing how huge projects come together, for better or worse, from the germ of an idea through an obstacle course of challenges.

Interested parties should contact me and Rich Turner.