Service Journalism Reporter

The News and Observer | TNO
Raleigh, NC 27601, USA

• Travel Required :
  Yes

The Raleigh News & Observer is seeking an audience-focused reporter to join its collaborative and hard-working North Carolina service journalism team.

This reporter will be based in the Raleigh/Durham area, a fast-growing metro area routinely listed as one of the best places in the country to live and work. You’ll join a reporting group that is fun, team-oriented and always looking for new ways to reach readers and tell the unique stories of the Triangle.

The service journalism team is focused on utility journalism with a mission to help local readers navigate day-to-day life. Service journalists use an accessible approach to write explainers, Q&As, fact checks, guides, and to answer questions locally trending online.

This reporter should be able to craft stories based on local users’ needs and interests, and to engage directly with readers online and in person.

The reporter in this position will write frequently. They will welcome daily assignments as well as cultivate and pitch their own ideas, finding stories and questions in every corner of the community. Service journalists dig into city curiosities as well as “talkers” on sites like Facebook, Nextdoor and Reddit.

One day you may write an explainer on a big news event or poll readers on the best barbecue in town; the next, you may write on a local restaurant opening or a survey about the best schools in the Triangle. Reporters in this role also contribute to local news projects and breaking news coverage.

An enthusiasm for working in a team-centered environment that emphasizes support and occasional shared bylines is essential. A willingness to learn audience development skills, such as headline writing and creating vertical video explainers, is a must.

Expertise in a particular subject area is not required, but the successful candidate will bring to the role areas of interest and a deep understanding of what’s important to local readers, preferably earned by working as part of a local news outlet.

Basically, we have fun, and we write on the news.

In this role, you will need to:

• Pitch stories that are off the beaten track and will resonate with many readers across our region.
• Report and write stories quickly in user-friendly formats.
• Find questions the community is asking and figure out the answers.
• Collaborate with other journalists from across the newsroom on major news events and local happenings.
• Demonstrate versatility, initiative and SEO savvy.
• Work in a team environment, both virtually and in person.
• Take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage AI and other automation to enhance and elevate your work, and to find efficiencies that free you to focus on source-building and high quality, deeply reported journalism.

Must have:

• 1-3 years of reporting or writing experience.
• A college degree or work equivalent.
• Strong reporting and writing skills, as well as a demonstrated ability to see the story that is going to matter to readers.
• Flexibility and speed in writing to respond to evolving news events and user needs.
• Excellent news judgment and journalism ethics.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• A willingness to cover a variety of topics.
• A passion for utility journalism that helps readers in their daily lives.
• Reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance (at least the minimum required by North Carolina).

Nice to have:

• A track record of community engagement and audience-centered reporting.
• Willingness to do multimedia storytelling, including recording vertical video.
• Familiarity with Google Trends, social media platforms, public records requests and data.
• Familiarity with measuring and tracking audience resonance using analytics.

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,…