Breaking News Reporter

Location:

News and Observer, 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 104, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA

The Raleigh News & Observer is looking for a breaking news reporter to join our newsroom, which was a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Helene’s damage to our state.

This rapid-fire beat includes:

• Breaking news, with a focus on high-impact, high-interest issues and quick-turn accountability. This will include coverage of public safety and courts, and the impact on communities we serve.
• Trending news, including identifying and reporting on timely stories that will drive conversation and satisfy readers’ curiosity.

The position calls for a quick, confident hand and a curious soul. We need a reporter who can publish an initial report within minutes and then expand while making calls, digging up documents and reporting in person. Just as important is the ability to use social tools, metrics and your natural curiosity to reflect — or even better, to drive — the daily conversation.

We’re looking for a reporter with a knack for finding the issues and stories that matter to our readers. That requires versatility — knowing how to break news, juggle quick-turn enterprise, build sourcing and navigate public records. It also requires a comfort with ethically harnessing artificial intelligence and other automation. We’re seeking journalists who are excited to find new ways to elevate their work and find efficiencies that free up more time for high-quality journalism.

You’d be joining a newsroom with a strong tradition of publishing top-tier journalism produced by high-achieving newcomers and veteran journalists alike. The News & Observer’s commitment to equity is broad and genuine.

Our journalists work in communities with vibrant choices for foodies, arts and music lovers, and outdoors enthusiasts. The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region is among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation. Known as the Triangle, the area is home to major universities, state government, numerous corporate headquarters and fast-growing startups. And North Carolina’s long coastline and dramatic Appalachian Mountains are only car rides away.

This beat is fertile ground for a resourceful, high metabolism reporter eager to build a following by publishing often, typically daily. You are right for this role if you understand that frequent, consistent publishing builds habit in readers, who come to trust that they can depend on you to deliver each day, giving them a reason to come back and engage.

To apply: Include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

What you’ll bring:

• At least one year of professional reporting experience, preferably in breaking news.
• The ability to write quickly, accurately and engagingly on a wide variety of topics.
• Experience building source networks and providing a constant flow of story ideas.
• The ability to quickly and accurately research and verify the authenticity of information, sources, photos and video.
• An understanding of audience metrics, SEO best practices, and social and search trends.
• The ability to and analyze data to inform reporting.
• Excellent news judgment and commitment to ethical journalism.
• Fluency in digital storytelling and social media.
• A commitment to diverse coverage through community engagement and source building.
• A track record for innovation, learning and using new skills and technologies, especially AI

What we’ll bring:

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate…