Service Journalism Reporter
The Sacramento Bee is looking for a collaborative, audience-focused reporter for our new service journalism team, whose mission is to help readers navigate life in Sacramento and issues that affect communities across the state of California. This reporter will use engagement tools and audience outreach to surface and answer questions readers are asking in the moment, will write stories that help readers connect with the news and will contribute to a library of search-friendly evergreen content.
The Sacramento Bee Utility Team answers the essential, most frequently-asked questions from our audiences every day. The team is leading our newsroom’s efforts to transition from a culture that assumes we know what readers want to a news organization that’s dedicated to engaging directly with key audiences and using their input to guide our coverage. In the process, we want to reach and serve local readers who have never connected with us before.
Expertise in a particular subject area is not required, but the successful candidate will be a versatile journalist with a deep understanding of what’s important to local readers. The Bee is looking for a journalist with strong reporting skills and the ability to adapt quickly to a changing media landscape. Understanding of audience tools such as Google Trends is a must.
The reporter in this role will report to the service journalism editor.
Qualifications
• At least 1 year of local news experience
• Experience with audience tools such as Google Trends
• Ability to understand audience metrics and the tactics that move them
• Passion for the written word as well as community outreach
• Enthusiasm for experimenting and iterating, quickly and often
• Strong writing and reporting skills
• Excellent news judgment and journalism ethics
• Strong collaborative instincts and a love of teamwork
• Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving
• Data reporting experience and the ability to work with data visualization tools
• Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works).
When applying, please include work samples or a link to your online portfolio