Reporter

Description:

Summary:

The Southern California News Group is seeking a reporter to join our Inland Empire news team full time to cover local governments and issues affecting residents in the region. City councils, the Boards of Supervisors and other agencies are key decision makers in the Inland Empire communities we cover. We want to follow the decisions made by local leaders and help readers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as the Inland Valley understand how they are affected.

Candidates should be passionate about journalism, are familiar with the region and trends in the area, and are comfortable scouring documents, agendas, and social media for story tips and coverage ideas. If you have the ability to produce strong enterprise and breaking news for digital and print platforms, can cultivate sources in person and digitally, write compelling narratives, and are comfortable mining public records for deep investigative pieces, we want to talk to you.

What you will do:

• Versatility is a must, as stories will cover a variety of topics

• Write on deadline in a fast-paced environment

• Ability to take own photos is a plus

• Produce stories that are assigned, and be able to pitch story ideas on a regular basis

• Research and develop stories to the utmost accuracy

• Cultivate sources both in person and via social media

• Understand and use company-provided hardware, software and cloud-based equipment and systems for company business and tasks

• Discuss stories throughout the process with the assignment editor, including (but not limited to): idea development, overcoming hurdles, editing, strategy for presentation and analytics

• Work with the photo and graphics teams to explore all the visual ways stories can be told or enhanced

• Collaborate with others in the Inland Empire and beyond in a positive culture of teamwork

What you will bring:

• Strong news judgment and a drive to compete

• Ability to write clean concise copy that draws readers in, including nut graphs and online headlines for SEO

• The skill to mine human sources, documents and data, including a facility for mining public records 

• The ability to juggle multiple stories of varying complexity, from quick news posts under deadline pressure to daily news stories and longer-term enterprise

• Proficiency at using the web and social media to report stories and to share them

• Facility with multiple languages is a plus

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required

• At least two years of professional journalism experience; prior local government reporting experience preferred

• Valid driver’s license required

Travel:

• There will be a need to drive around the Inland Empire, however out-of-the-area travel is unlikely

The hourly wage is $21.63 - $24.04. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, time in role, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, MediaNews Group offers a comprehensive benefits package, and 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).

Who we are:

Established in March 2016, the Southern California News Group (SCNG) has virtually overnight become one of the most powerful and influential news organizations in the U.S. This dynamic union was created when the Los Angeles News Group (owners of nine local daily newspapers and websites) and its parent company Media News Group (MNG) acquired Freedom Communications (owners of the Orange County Register and Riverside Press-Enterprise).

By combining these two highly regarded and well-established institutions, SCNG has emerged as the largest news content provider in the five-county Los Angeles metropolitan area. As a leader in circulation among top publications nationwide, SCNG now owns and operates 11 local daily newspapers and more than a dozen community weeklies.

Our mission is to connect communities by providing readers with the area's best local news coverage while providing advertisers with unprecedented access to one of the world's most diverse and dynamic audiences.

No matter the distribution vehicle—newspaper, magazine, mobile, online—SCNG's in-depth reporting on local news, politics, sports and entertainment continues to attract a desirable audience for its customers. Combining print, online and social media, SCNG now delivers premium content to over 8.1 million adults every week, making it an indispensable marketing solution for advertisers across Southern California. No other local newspaper group reaches more households in our market than SCNG.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

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