Breaking News / General Assignment Correspondent

Lookout Local • Santa Cruz, CA

9h • $60,000 - $75,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Lookout Santa Cruz is hiring a correspondent to cover breaking news and report enterprising general-assignment stories across Santa Cruz County. The correspondent will often be among the first reporters at major events, establish what is known, verify information, publish an initial account, and keep readers informed as events develop. Major breaking-news coverage is shared with editors and newsroom colleagues, who contribute reporting, visuals, context, and follow-up.

When breaking news allows, the correspondent will pursue daily and longer-form reporting on subjects across the county, including public safety, crime and courts, local government, transportation, education, housing, the environment, business, and the people and issues shaping community life. The role calls for a versatile journalist who develops sources and original story ideas, finds context and accountability angles, and works collaboratively across formats. The correspondent will use digital tools and produce field photos and short-form video.

This is an in-office position in Santa Cruz, reporting to the Executive Editor. The role may require nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call rotations as news dictates. The listed salary range is $60,000–$75,000 depending on experience.

Requirements

• Two to five years of experience as a daily news reporter, with demonstrated ability to cover breaking news and produce strong general-assignment journalism.
• Ability to work independently in the field while communicating effectively and collaborating with editors and colleagues.
• Strong instincts for verification, precise attribution, and navigating incomplete or conflicting information.
• Curiosity about a wide range of subjects, willingness to learn unfamiliar beats, and initiative to develop original story ideas.
• Ability to stay calm and work safely in the field during emergencies and fast-changing situations.
• Proficiency with digital publishing tools, social platforms, and smartphone photo and video.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple changing priorities simultaneously.
• Comfort with Lookout's correspondent-focused, multi-platform model and the style it brings to the work.
• Desire to work in an entrepreneurial, fast-growth startup environment and embrace the agility and flexibility required in a new business.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual abilities in Spanish and English.
• Data-journalism skills, public-records research, or experience analyzing government and public-safety data trends.
• Experience with trauma-informed interviewing.
• Evolving applied knowledge of AI use.

Responsibilities

• Take an active role in covering major breaking news across Santa Cruz County, often leading initial reporting during the first hours of an event, in collaboration with editors and newsroom colleagues.
• Report on storms, fires, floods, coastal emergencies, crashes, evacuations, outages, major public-safety incidents, and other fast-moving news.
• Publish timely, accurate initial reports and update them as information emerges, distinguishing confirmed facts from preliminary information and explaining what remains unknown.
• Monitor scanners, emergency alert systems, agency feeds, social media, and reader tips; verify information before publishing and clearly label what is confirmed and what is not.
• Work nights, weekends, and holidays as news dictates, including on-call rotations during major events.
• Shoot usable field photos and short-form video, and work with the photojournalist and Audience Editor on major events.
• Report enterprising daily and longer-form stories across Santa Cruz County and pursue a variety of topics rather than a single dedicated beat.
• Develop story ideas through community conversations, public meetings, documents, data, news tips, and independent observation.
• Cover crime, courts, and public safety as part of a broader reporting portfolio, including significant cases, criminal-justice issues, public-safety trends, and community concerns.
• Build relationships with public officials, first responders, community organizations, subject-matter experts, and residents affected by the news.
• Look beyond official statements and routine announcements for questions, context, and accountability angles.
• Collaborate with editors and fellow correspondents on in-depth and follow-up pieces.
• Represent Lookout Santa Cruz at community events and forums, building trust and identifying stories that matter to readers.

Benefits

• Highly competitive medical, dental, and optical benefits for full-time employees.
• 401(k) with matching.
• Stock options in a growing company.
• Performance-based incentives.
• Opportunity to contribute to local journalism in a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom.
• Collaborative and mission-driven work environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed