Sports Reporter, St. Cloud Minnesota

USA TODAY Co., Inc. is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level, dedicated to empowering and enriching communities.

The St. Cloud Times, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking a sports reporter to join our team and cover high school and college athletics in Central Minnesota.

The Times is in a competitive sports market, where football and hockey are critical areas of coverage. The area is also home to state high school championship teams in a host of sports, and the town is home to St. Cloud State University and its Division I hockey programs.

Words are important, but it’s also key to meet the athletes in their comfort zone across social media. Experience with photography is not required, but a bonus.

St. Cloud is a thriving multi‑city location in central Minnesota situated about one hour from the Twin Cities. The metro area population is more than 200,000, with the Twin Cities coming in at 3.7 million. The population in St. Cloud, which continues to rise, is diverse in this growing region of Minnesota.

• Create storytelling that accurately informs, entertains and engages specific audiences and platforms through the use of metrics.
• Work toward becoming the community’s leading voice of expertise in high school sports.
• Connect with the community through storytelling and outreach (social media, on camera, forums, community leadership, etc.). Provide thoughtful analysis of complex issues.
• Work with editor and content strategist to evaluate what’s working and what’s not and develop ongoing plans to satisfy audience needs.
• Collaborate to provide appropriate elements for stories (i.e. photos, videos and graphics). Capture basic photos and video as needed.
• Promote personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
• Provide great customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in communications, journalism or related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Previous reporting experience preferred; even better if you’ve covered sports.
• Proficiency on social media platforms; including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit.
• Experience shooting and editing photos and video on a mobile device.
• Strong communication skills, news judgement and headline‑writing ability.
• Ability to multitask and excel under intense deadline pressure.
• Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently.
• Strong writing, spelling and grammar skills; familiarity with AP style.
• Ability to work nights and weekends.
• Comfort building a beat and communicating with athletes and coaches.
• A valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.

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employs employees. In addition, USA TODAY Co., Inc. will provide applicants who require a reasonable accommodation, as a result of an applicant’s disability or religion, to complete this employment application and/or any other process in connection with an individual’s application for employment with USA TODAY Co., Inc. Applicants who require such accommodation should contact USA TODAY Co., Inc.’s Recruitment Department at  Applicants must be authorized to work in the applicable location.

Applications from outside these regions will be removed from our system after submission.