Sports Reporter-Kearney, NE

Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 6:00 AM

The Kearney Hub in Kearney, Nebraska, is seeking a journalist who can cover local sports teams in a way that will lead to higher reader engagement. Through extensive data review, we’ve found that readers care most about the people – athletes and coaches – and less about play-by-play. Sports features and team analysis are of greater interest to our readers than standard gamers.

The successful candidate will go to games to take photos and video and get interviews, but instead of a traditional game story will come up with takeaways or “what we learned” from the game to post early the next morning. That reporting and the relationships established with coaches and players will lead to feature stories in the days/weeks ahead. The bread and butter of the job is high‑school sports, but flexibility is needed to cover college/pro sports with local angles.

Responsibilities include writing stories for digital and print, taking videos and photos and posting content online and on social media to engage and grow our digital subscriber base. The reporter will also give instructions to our design center on what content should go on the print pages, then proof pages if not covering an event.

If you can write clearly, develop sources and take initiative to find stories, this may be the role for you. The successful candidate will be proficient in AP writing and reporting, photography, videography and digital platforms.

Preference will be given to candidates with a journalism degree, although internships and experience will be considered. New graduates/journalists are welcome to apply, and the Hub provides an opportunity for journalists to learn and grow. The ability to produce timely reports in today’s instant digital news environment is a must.

Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that includes medical, dental, vision, short and long‑term disability, company‑provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401(k) retirement plan with a company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow the flexibility to balance personal life and work.

This includes paid parental leave for new parents.

Lee Enterprises is a major subscription and advertising platform and a leading provider of local news and information, with daily newspapers, rapidly growing digital products and nearly 350 weekly and specialty publications serving over 70 markets in 25 states. Year to date, Lee's newspapers have an average daily circulation of 1.0 million, and our legacy websites, including acquisitions, reach