Business Reporter

NEWSWELL at Arizona State University•Santa Barbara, CA

3d•$28 - $34•Onsite

About The Position

You will join the Santa Barbara News-Press as a dedicated business reporter, covering the companies, organizations, industries, workers, entrepreneurs, real estate trends, and economic forces shaping Santa Barbara County, with a primary focus on the South Coast communities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria. Your reporting will center on timely, useful and original local business journalism: weekly business briefs, profiles, accountability stories, explanatory reporting and longer-form enterprise work that helps readers understand what is changing in the local economy — and why it matters. At the Santa Barbara News-Press, you’ll be part of a growing start-up newsroom rebuilding local journalism with urgency, credibility and relevance. You’ll cover a wide range of stories across Santa Barbara County contributing original reporting that is engaging, accessible and rooted in the people, place and institutions that drive our regional economy. This is a role for a journalist who can move quickly on business news while developing deeper sources and enterprise stories. You should be comfortable covering small and large businesses, commercial real estate, tourism and hospitality, restaurants and retail, technology and startups, agriculture and wine, labor and workforce issues, economic development, housing and development, public-private partnerships, local government decisions affecting business, and the broader cost pressures facing employers, workers and consumers. You’ll pursue breaking news, daily and weekly beat stories, enterprise reporting, narrative features, data journalism, investigations and shoot short-form vertical video for social-first stories. You’ll spend a significant portion of your time out in the community, on the street and in the field, talking to people.

Requirements

A minimum of three years of professional reporting experience in Business topics.
Excellent reporting and writing skills
Proficiency in understanding, analyzing, and presenting data in an understandable way.
Experience and comfort publishing stories in short-form vertical video format
A degree in journalism or college-level journalism coursework
Reporters must have a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle in good working condition, with suitable auto insurance coverage.

Nice To Haves

A minimum of five years professional reporting experience and/or academic background in Business-related disciplines.
Familiarity with digital publishing workflows
Spanish language speaking and writing skills
Preference for someone living in the Santa Barbara area

Responsibilities

Anchor a dedicated Business reporting beat for the News-Press, contributing strong original reporting across media formats, including: Daily and weekly beat stories and regular news digests, Features, breaking news and developing stories, Data journalism, explanatory pieces and investigations
Report and write
Develop and report original stories through on-the-ground reporting
Write clear, accurate, well-structured stories on deadline
File breaking news quickly while maintaining accuracy and fairness
Follow stories beyond the news cycle for in-depth “day two” coverage
Develop long-form, investigative and explanatory features
Contribute through written text and photos
Shoot short-form video for publishing across multiple platforms
Work with editors and colleagues to adapt reporting for different platforms
Present at periodic in-person News-Press events focusing on business topics
Collaborate in a modern newsroom
Work closely with editors, fellow reporters and visual journalists
Participate in story meetings and contribute ideas
Be open to feedback and committed to continuous improvement
Occasionally cover general assignment stories or breaking news as needed