Arizona Connect Trending Reporter

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The Arizona Republic is looking for an Arizona Connect Trending Reporter to join our service journalism and trending team. This reporter will provide timely and audience-focused coverage in metro Phoenix, including its many neighborhoods and surrounding areas.

We are looking for a reporter who is quick and flexible — full of topic-focused story ideas, who can urgently pursue them and write them at volume in varied formats. This reporter should be deeply curious, highly competitive, and possess the desire to inform digital audiences. The reporter should be comfortable working with local and national editors and reporters across the USA TODAY Network, and able to seamlessly move between topics important to the city’s neighborhoods.

We start with the headline, so great digital headline-writing skills are required.

The reporter will work alongside our Arizona Republic reporters and editors and content strategists to cover high-interest stories, help swarm breaking news and plan for major events.

This reporter should be comfortable interacting with and listening to social media and other digital communities, and being comfortable on camera is a must. They will use data and analytics, Google Trends and other SEO tools to inform their story choices and presentation on and off our platforms. This reporter must love telling stories quickly when needed, in depth when called for, and always with accuracy.

Living in metro Phoenix or the area and having great familiarity with the city, Arizona as a whole, culture, major events and top interests, is required.

The typical shift will start early, but needs, meaning nights and/or weekends may also be required.

• Monitor emails, social media, community groups, and other sources to find stories.
• Monitor developing stories across news, social and other media platforms for key topics important to Arizona residents and people who work there.
• Efficiently and accurately write stories, several per day.
• Find, pitch and swiftly produce stories on topics of emerging interest, with a focus on what readers want and need to know.
• Ensure content is properly optimized for competitive search ranking and best practices for user experience.
• Create video using an array of tools to deliver trending and breaking news across platforms in realtime.

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in journalism or related field.
• Expert at using social media platforms; including but not limited to Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, Tik Tok, Reddit and Bluesky.
• Command of concise writing, spelling, grammar and AP style.
• Good fact-checking and reporting skills.
• Well-organized, detail-oriented and flexible.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced…